Former Vice President and 2024 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has pointed fingers inward, saying the party’s defeat in the 2024 general elections was self-inflicted.
Speaking during the NPP’s “Thank You” tour at the party’s headquarters in Accra on Wednesday, April 23, Dr. Bawumia didn’t mince words.
“Notwithstanding our hard work, we still suffered a heavy defeat. When you look at what happened, you will see that it was internal. Many of our supporters did not come out to vote.”
In a candid admission, Bawumia highlighted that a staggering number of NPP supporters chose to stay away from the polls, and that, according to him, made all the difference.
“This is fundamentally why we lost the election. If you look at 2020 vis-à-vis 2024, 2.1 million of our supporters did not come out to vote. So, the key to victory is within the NPP because we decided not to vote. So, if we decide to vote, we will win.”
His comments come in the wake of the official declaration by the Electoral Commission, which confirmed John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as the winner of the presidential race. Mahama secured 6,328,397 votes — 56.55% of the valid votes cast — while Dr. Bawumia pulled in 4,657,304 votes, representing 41.61%.
The former Vice President’s remarks have stirred mixed reactions, with some party faithful acknowledging the low morale and internal apathy during the 2024 campaign, while others believe the party needs more than just turnout to win future elections.
