Foreign

A Ghanaian court has sentenced TikToker Camilla Alhassan to one year in prison after she pleaded guilty to offensive conduct and publishing false information about President John Mahama.

The 43-year-old had posted videos on TikTok falsely alleging that the President performed ritual sacrifices to secure victory in the 2024 general election and linked a government sanitary pad distribution programme to the claims.

The court rejected a plea for a lighter sentence, ruling that a custodial term would deter the spread of false information on social media.

Prosecutors said Alhassan, who has more than 70,000 TikTok followers, made false and defamatory allegations against the President.

The case has renewed debate in Ghana over misinformation on social media and the balance between tackling fake news and protecting freedom of expression.

BBC/Maxwell Oyekunle

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Foreign

President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana has been declared winner of the 2020 election.

Akufo-Addo, who ran under the platform of New Patriotic Party (NPP), was declared winner of the election by Jean Mensah, the chairperson of the electoral commission of Ghana on Wednesday evening, December 9.

According to Mensah, Akufo-Addo polled a total of 6,730,430 votes to defeat his main rival and former President John Mahama who polled 6,214,889 votes.

Mensah said the total valid votes cast during the election were 30,434,574, representing 79 percent of registered voters.

Sunday Ogunyemi