On July 23, 2023, a social media influencer, Nayabouqua Oldpa Yeazeahn, popularly known as Prophet Key, wrote on his Facebook page named “Promte Demote” that the Standard Bearer of the Unity Party, Mr. Joseph Nyumah Boakai has landed in the United States of America to raise funds for his campaign ahead of the October 10 elections in Liberia.
Mr. Boakai, 78, served as the 29th Vice President of Liberia under former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf from 2006 to 2018.
After seeing this claim, iVerify Liberia team decided to fact-check the content.
We contacted Mr. Mohammed Ali, the Official Spokesman of Mr. Joseph Boakai’s “Rescue Mission Campaign” via WhatsApp and he responded that his Standard Bearer is in the States to attend his [Joseph Boakai] Granddaughter’s wedding on the 30th of July and not to raise funds for the campaign.
Wrote Mr. Ali: “He came for his granddaughter’s wedding. He’s not here for fundraising”
Meanwhile, we reviewed a Jul 21, 2023 press release published by FrontPage Africa with the headline: “Amb. Boakai Leaves for the U.S. on Friday for Grand Daughter’s Wedding”.
A portion of the press release reads: “Honorable Boakai will be in the Twin Cities primarily to participate in matrimonial services of his Granddaughter, Counselor Jengeih Sia Tamba, and her Fiancé, Mr. Bradley Peterson, which takes place in Chaska, Minnesota, on Sunday, July 30”.
The paper furthered that “On the margins of the wedding, the UP-Standard Bearer will have several engagements with UP partisans, representatives of supporting political parties, ordinary supporters, and well-wishers”
Based on the information obtained from the UP Campaign Spokesman and the press release published in the newspaper, we conclude that the claim made by Prophet Key that Joseph Nyumah Boakai has gone to the US to raise funds for the campaign is misleading.
In the same post, Promte Demote also claimed that Mr. Boakai’s running mate, Jeremiah Koung cannot go to America, adding that the UP Standard bearer chose Mr. Koung before realizing that he cannot go to America.
He wrote: “The sad part is, Recuse #2# Jeremiah Koung can’t go America, this life not balance. The papay [oldman] chose the man before he realized the man can’t go America”
We fact-checked this content and established that it is unproven. Please note that under U.S. law, specifically the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) 222(f), visa records are confidential, and
therefore the status of a visa applicant cannot be shared or disclosed anyone other than the visa applicant.
Based on the evidence gathered, we therefore conclude that the claim that the UP Standard bearer has travelled to the US to raise funds for his campaign is incorrect. Also, the claim that Nimba County Senator Jeremiah Koung cannot travelled to the US is unproven.
Local Voices Liberia, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, has implemented the iVerify Liberia system with the objective of strengthening capacities to address threats to information integrity, especially in view of the upcoming 2023 elections, to ensure all Liberian citizens have access to credible, reliable and verified information, everywhere and at all times.
This initiative is funded by Irish Aid, Embassy of Sweden in Monrovia, European Union Delegation in Liberia and the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund. The donors have no say in the production of this fact check report.
