Election season and new "wele"

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Author

Chale News
November 28, 2024

So, what’s in the bag today?

  • Politics: Kufuor’s out here with the “I’m old, I’m wise, and I know what’s best”!

  • National: Six people, including a young family, unalived in a fire in Axim-Brewie.

  • National: Political parties are set to sign a peace pact for the 2024 elections, but the NDC is like “We’ll come if you show us some serious receipts.”

  • Education: 1 in 10 girls in Ghana are experiencing their first sexual encounter before age 15. Guess who’s stepping in to fix it?

  • National: No, the new electric buses aren’t an election gimmick.

  • Fact of the Day: When do your ears and nose stop growing?

  • Crime: So this Ghanaian guy tried to scam old people in the US out of $2 million, but now he’s the one locked up for 5 years—big wahala!

  • National: So WAEC isn’t relocating to Nigeria, fam—Accra still runs the show, and that’s straight from the horse’s mouth!

QUICK BYTE

  • Okay, so you know how every time something shiny and new comes along in the middle of election season, everyone’s like, “Hmm, is this a little... suspicious?” Well, Hassan Tampuli's got his defense locked and loaded for the electric buses making their grand debut in Accra. First off, don’t go calling it an election gimmick just yet. Hassan’s reassuring Ghanaians that these buses are just the beginning of a whole new public transport vibe. If you’ve glanced at the NPP’s 2024 manifesto, you’ll spot the electric vehicle plans in full technicolor. And according to Hassan, this electric fleet is the “pilot project,” a fancy word for “test run”, to see how it handles our roads. Yoo! Read more

  • The peace pact signing today ahead of the December 7 elections is going down at the National Peace Council. Politicians are coming together to promise they'll keep things chill before, during, and after the election. But the NDC might just play the “I’ll show up if...” card, throwing in some conditions about high-profile government figures signing it first. Want the deets in full? Check out the Deep Dive section.

  • So, former President Kufuor, the OG himself, came through and dropped some serious knowledge on his critics after endorsing Bawumia for the 2024 elections. They were all up in his business about it, but Kufuor’s like, “Hold up, I’ve got wisdom, I’ve got experience—this is why I’m backing Bawumia.” Read more

  • Apparently, 64.4% of Ghanaians are out here chilling while fake news runs wild. A study by the African Center for Quality Journalism and Research found that most people don’t even bother calling out or reporting fake stories. Even crazier, people are still trusting TV and social media, but radio? Nah, it’s the least trusted. Looks like the spread of disinformation is the real MVP in this election season. Get the 411 in the Deep Dive section below

  • There was a crazy fire that hit Axim-Brewie on Wednesday, and chale, it was bad. Six people lost their lives—no easy way to say it. The victims include a husband and wife and their three kids, who were all between the ages of five and ten. The fire wasn’t just hard on the family—it left a massive amount of property damage too. Three people did survive, though they’re hurt and getting treated in the Axim Government Hospital. It’s just a normal morning, then boom—everything’s gone. Asem oo Read more

FACT OF THE DAY

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Your ears and nose never stop growing.

  • Did you know that one in ten girls in Ghana are having their first sexual experience before they even turn 15? That’s pretty wild, and guess what? It’s not just about the “who” and the “when,” it’s also leading to teenage pregnancies. So, the Ministry of Education, swooped in with a campaign to tackle sexual harassment head-on and create safer spaces for students in school. They don’t plan to make a cute flyer and call it a day. This is full business from MoE. Read more

  • Bruh, this one is crazy. A Ghanaian dude, Wigbert Bandie, has been sentenced to 63 months (that’s over 5 years, for those who don’t do math) for running a major wire fraud scheme that took more than $2 million from elderly victims in the US. This wasn’t some small-time hustle; nah, Bandie used online dating sites and social media to cozy up to these old folks and made them send him money like they were besties. Want the deets in full? Check out the Deep Dive section.

  • Chale, so some people are really out here starting rumors that WAEC wants to pack up and move its headquarters to Nigeria because Ghana owes them money. But WAEC is like, "Hold up! Not so fast!" They’ve come out to clarify that there’s no such move happening, and the HQ is still right here in Accra. So all those panic tweets and stories? Total nonsense! Read more

DEEP DIVE

Is the NDC signing or not?

It’s November 28, and everyone’s trying to play nice ahead of Election 2024. The National Peace Council has called all the political parties and presidential candidates to sit down, hold hands (metaphorically), and sign a peace pact. The goal? To promise that the campaign will stay chill—no throwing shade, no bad vibes, just unity and good vibes leading up to December 7.

Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, Chairman of the Peace Council, is basically the “peacekeeper” in this situation, and he’s feeling confident. He’s got all the parties committed (at least that’s what he thinks), and they’ve even been sent the pact to study. No major beefs yet, but we all know how politics can be. People can flip faster than a meme on Twitter (still haven’t gotten to calling it X😂😂), right?

Cue dramatic music. The NDC, always ready to serve some suspense, might pull a “we’ll sign, but only if...” move. Apparently, they’re waiting on a little “proof of good faith” from government figures like the President and the IGP. Until that’s sorted, they might just ghost today’s signing event. Read more

Who can spot the fake news?

Apparently, 64.4% of Ghanaians don’t feel the need to do anything when they see a juicy fake news story. Can we really blame them? It's like that friend who loves gossiping but no one ever calls them out. We just let it slide. According to a study by the African Center for Quality Journalism and Research, most people just watch fake news like it's the latest show—no commentary, no calls for accountability. It’s like we’ve all decided to let the rumors flow freely without a care in the world.

About 89.2% of people have seen fake news, so the problem is out here just vibing, ready for more action. Of those, 35.6% are the type to drop a comment like, "nah, this isn’t it" under the fake story. A solid 19.7% actually report it, like they’re the real-life police of social media, while another 7.6% just slide it to a friend like, "Bro, you won’t believe this nonsense."

Now, when it comes to how we spot fake news, it's all about the Google search and reliable websites. A good chunk of people (68.2%) say they head to credible sources, while some still trust their friends for the truth (but, like, are they really trustworthy?). And then there’s TV and online news which still hold it down as trusted sources, while radio is literally the least trusted thing out there. Guess radio is just getting the side-eye this time around. Read

So, what’s the real tea here? Fake news may abound, but you can trust Chale News for the real story! And that’s on period! Read more

Romance Scam

Chale, you know say some people can be too smooth, eh? So here’s the story: A 34-year-old Ghanaian, Wigbert Bandie, was on a mission of fraudulent greatness in the US. This guy wasn’t out here hustling for small change. Nah. He scammed old folks for over $2 million. How? Through sweet-talkin’ on dating websites and social media, pretending to be all in love with them. He was out here convincing them to send money for "emergencies" or to invest in fake opportunities.

Like, come on, bro! Some of these elderly people lost upwards of $280,000, with a whole lot of them coughing up tens of thousands, all because they thought they were helping someone who cared for them. But nah, Bandie was just making money moves off their trust. And when the FBI caught wind of it, they were like “No way! This ain’t flying!” So, they rounded up the crew and locked Bandie up for a solid 5 years plus. He’s also got to pay back $2.18 million to his victims. Imagine!

And it gets wilder—Bandie didn’t do this alone. He had a whole squad helping him, including “money mules” who helped transfer the cash to accounts overseas. Read more

NEWS SOURCES

Today’s stories are curated from: