Hassan Ayariga

Hassan Ayariga
Born	(1972-09-04) 4 September 1972 (age 52) Bawku, Upper East, Ghana
Nationality	Ghanaian
Education	Ghana Senior High School (Tamale)
Occupation	Accountant
Political party	All People's Congress
Spouse	Anitta Ayariga
Children	5
Relatives	Mahama Ayariga

Hassan Ayariga (born 4 September 1972) is a Ghanaian accountant and unsuccessful 2016 Ghanaian presidential aspirant. He is the founder of the All People's Congress (APC) and was the candidate of the People's National Convention for the December 2012 presidential election. ^{[1] [2]}

Early life and education

Ayariga spent his childhood in Accra and Bawku, moving to Nigeria with his parents after the overthrow of the Limann administration. He attended Ghana Secondary School in Tamale and then in Nigeria Barewa College in Zaria, but did not earn a degree at Barewa. He would eventually study accounting at the London School of Accountancy, yet likewise neither pursued or acquired any degree.

Ayariga later attended Atlantic International University, an unaccredited university often described as a degree mill. ^{[3] [4]} This would not be Ayariga's only dubious American educational credential as he is also the recipient of an honorary degree from Reagan National University, an institution likewise widely reported as a fraud. ^[5] In addition, the very accreditor of Reagan National University, the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, would itself become unrecognized in the United States because of its lax standards. ^[6]

Despite styling himself as 'Dr.', Ayariga has never actually earned any degree from an educational institution currently-accredited by recognized authorities within the country in which it is domiciled. The same cannot be stated with respect to either his spouse (Anitta) or brother (Mahama), who are graduates of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and Harvard Law School respectively. ^{[7] [8]}

Politics

In the presidential primaries of the People's National Convention (PNC) for the 2016 general election, Ayariga lost to Edward Mahama, whom he had beaten to become presidential candidate in 2012. Alleging electoral misconduct, he left the party to form a new party, the All People’s Congress (APC), in 2016. The Electoral Commission of Ghana handed the party a provisional certificate after he met the requisite requirements, and it had since been granted a final certificate. ^[9]

Due to reported errors with paperwork, Ayariga was disqualified from appearing on the ballot in the 2016 Ghanaian general election. ^[10] In response, Ayariga would launch claims of electoral misconduct not unlike those he had earlier leveled at the People's National Convention. ^[11]

Personal life

His father, Frank Abdulai Ayariga, was a member of parliament for the Bawku Constituency during the third republic administration of Hilla Limann and his mother, Anatu Ayariga, a business woman. ^[12]

His younger brother Mahama Ayariga was Ghanaian Minister for Youth and Sports from 2013-2015, and he is the current Ghanaian Member of Parliament for the Bawku Central ^[13] Constituency.

Hassan Ayariga lived and worked in Germany for many years and has business interests in both Ghana and Germany. He is married and has 5 children. ^[7]

References

1. "Profile of 2012 Presidential Candidates". Electoral Commission of Ghana. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
2. "Hassan Ayariga's APC receives provisional certificate". Graphic Online. 11 February 2016.
3. Gumbs-Sandiford, Ani-ka. "Commissioner into 1990 coup attempt accused of having Doctorate". Guardian. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
4. "Probe IGP's 'Fake' doctorate degree - Academics". GhanaWeb. 2016-10-28. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
5. Conway, Marian (2020-02-18). "The Case of the Accreditation of the Nonexistent University". Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
6. "U.S. Department of Education Ends ACICS Recognition | Council for Higher Education Accreditation". Council for Higher Education Accreditation . Retrieved 2024-05-01.
7. "Hassan Ayariga (PNC Presidential Candidate )". Ghana Web. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
8. "Mahama Ayariga". University of Ghana .
9. Boakye, Baffour Agyeman Prempeh (2023-01-24). "Ghana's Nkrumahist parties keep splitting - a threat to their strength in the 2024 election". The Conversation. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
10. "Full list of disqualified presidential aspirants | General News 2016-10-10". Ghana web. 2018-07-19. Archived from the original on 2018-07-19. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
11. Ghana web: "EC disqualification bogus; we’ll sue them – Ayariga". Reported on October 10, 2016.
12. "Hassan Ayariga's Bio". hassanayariga. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
13. "Ghanaians will continue to enjoy subsidies on utilities - Mahama Ayariga". City fM Online. Retrieved 12 October 2013.

Party political offices
Preceded by Edward Mahama	People's National Convention presidential candidate 2012	Succeeded by Edward Mahama
New title	All People's Congress Presidential Candidate 2016, 2020	Incumbent