Fact check: Mahama’s claim on jailed pastor wrong
Former president John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday, August 11, 2020, issued a statement asking for clemency for a pastor who has been jailed over breach of public gatherings law.
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The statement further described the sentencing of the pastor as “draconian”.
He, therefore, called on President Nana Akufo-Addo to grant clemency to the accused pastor and two others.
Source: UGC
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But it turned out that the three culprits had been released long ago. So Mr. Mahama came out publicly to later announce that he had been informed of the pastor’s release.
YEN.com.gh fact check sort to verify the claims of the NDC flagbearer, John Mahama.
According to the Chairman of the Christian Council of Ghana Rev. Dr. Paul Kwabena Boafo the head pastor, Sampson Agakpe and the two church workers who were arrested have been released for months now.
Further checks with the founder and head pastor of the Church of Pure Christ in the Volta Region, Sampson Agakpe indicated that he and one of the church workers spent 11 days in the Ho prison while the other culprit spent four days in prison.
They were arrested on April 12, 2020.
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Pastor Sampson Agakpe said they were fined, but soon after they managed to raise the money for the fine, they were released.
From the account and testimonies that were given YEN.com.gh, it is clear that while Sampson Agakpe was put in prison after his arrest following the flouting of the ban on public gatherings, he was released months before the former president issued the statement calling on President Akufo Addo to grant him clemency.
This makes John Mahama’s initial assertion flatly false.
YEN.com.gh earlier reported that the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama introduced his running mate, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang to the Christian Council on Wednesday, August 12, 2020.
At the event, the former president charged that clergy to take action against what he described as politicization of state institutions by President Nana Akufo-Addo.
He noted that the country cannot sit all of as the country “slips towards decadence”.
John Mahama officially outdoors Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang as his running mate | #Yencomgh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
