Independent presidential candidate Nana Kwame Bediako, widely known as Cheddar, claimed to have presented a petition in the UK Parliament after an address in which he apologised for Africa’s misdeeds and called for a greater partnership with the continent.
In a post shared on X on October 11, 2024, he bragged about this feat, describing himself as the “first African leader to apologise on behalf of African leaders for their mistakes, which have caused us economic crises, currency devaluation, stagnant development, etc.”
He also indicated that he was the first African leader to “present a petition on English soil in the UK Parliament, urging the world to refrain from using their foreign influences to instigate our political systems and become our international commercial partners instead.”
The post was accompanied by a video showing him addressing an audience that he suggested was in the UK Parliament.
But was Cheddar at the UK Parliament, and did he present any petition to them?
FactCheckGhana investigated the matter. Here is what they found:
1. Cheddar’s address was not an official event of the UK Parliament.
An official at the Press Office of the UK Parliament told FactCheckGhana that the UK Parliament, either the House of Commons, also known as the Upper Chamber, or the House of Lords, the lower chamber, did not invite Cheddar for any official event.
“We can confirm that this was not an official Parliamentary event. It was hosted by MP Siobhain McDonagh,” Emily Heaton, Senior Media Relations Officer of the Communications Office of the UK Parliament, is quoted as saying.
