STATEMENT: Mahama Campaign condemns Asaase Radio & Daily Guide.

Accra- Ghana: Pro-government media outlets, Asaase Radio and Daily Guide on Thursday gave further meaning to their shadowy and unethical journalism practice with the publication of deliberately concocted stories accusing the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, of seeking assistance from the government of Russia for the 2024 election. 

Over the last almost eight years, the government of Nana Akufo-Addo has relied on misinformation and disinformation as tools to whitewash the corrupt, deplorable, disrespectful, incompetent and maladministration that has pushed many Ghanaians into hardship and difficulty in making ends meet. 

We became aware on Thursday of the syndication of a pack of lies written by NPP propagandists and being passed off as news articles for various NPP tabloids and propaganda outlets including Asaase Radio and Daily Guide.

While it has always been obvious that Asaase Radio and its affiliates were established as conduits for government propaganda, one would have thought that after passing them off as media institutions, George Andah, Wilberforce Asare and co who shamelessly spread falsehood at every turn, will be minded by the need to at least remember that the practice of journalism comes with some ethics. 

In deciding to join the Daily Guide and the Ministry of Information’s fake news factory, Asaase Radio must know that fabricating stories that claim that the NDC Flagbearer is in Russia to solicit financial and technical support towards the 2024 elections, when the available information and evidence of Mahama’s presence in Moscow is public, is a danger to our politics, casts a slur on Ghanaian journalism and unethical.

As has been published by responsible news outlets and on all his social media handles and website, www.johnmahama.org, Mr Mahama was in Moscow to launch the Russian language translation of his widely acclaimed memoir, My First Coup D’etat and Other Stories from the Lost Decades of Africa, at the Russian Academy of Sciences. 

In attendance at the well-attended, interactive and intellectually engaging presentation was Ghana’s Ambassador to Russia HE Dr Oheneba Akyaa Opoku Ware and her staff from the Embassy in Moscow. Were they there to support Mahama’s request for campaign funding? 

As a statesman of considerable repute, Mahama believes in fostering healthy relations among nations to promote global peace, security, and prosperity. This is what he has been known for since his early days, as MP, Minister, Vice President, President and over the period he has been engaging many nations and institutions around the world promoting and putting Ghana and Africa’s across.

We repudiate the unprofessional pseudo-journalists and media institutions who have made themselves willing conduits for the spreading of malicious lies against the NDC and Mr Mahama. Their duplicitous conduct makes complete mockery of their training, if any, and the ethics of the profession.

To be part of a conspiracy to tell blatant lies about respectable individuals in aid of the NPP and Bawumia’s drowning campaign is the height of irresponsibility and utter recklessness.

We urge the discerning Ghanaian public to completely disregard these lies as no such thing has occurred.

Mr Mahama and the NDC remain focused on engaging the people of Ghana on his well-considered and carefully curated vision, which will catalyse the reset of our country towards building the Ghana we want together. 

We must fight state capture, corruption and return Ghana to the path of good governance, prudent economic management and rapid development. 

SIGNED: 
Joyce Bawah Mogtari 
Spokesperson
Friday, July 12, 2024.