Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the former Vice President and 2024 presidential candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has attributed the party’s loss in the 2024 general elections to a significant decline in voter participation among its supporters.
During the NPP’s ‘Thank You’ tour on April 23 at the party’s headquarters in Accra, Dr. Bawumia disclosed that around 2.1 million party members did not cast their votes, which he believes was a critical factor in the party’s defeat. He stated, ‘Despite our diligent efforts, we faced a substantial loss. Analyzing the situation reveals that the issue was internal; many of our supporters chose not to vote.
This is fundamentally the reason for our electoral defeat. Comparing the 2020 and 2024 elections, 2.1 million of our supporters abstained from voting.
Therefore, the path to victory lies within the NPP, as our decision not to participate in the election led to this outcome. If we choose to vote, we will secure a win.’
The presidential election on December 7 was a competitive race between Dr. Bawumia of the NPP and John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
On December 9, the Electoral Commission announced John Mahama as the winner, with 6,328,397 votes, which accounted for 56.55% of the valid votes cast. In contrast, Dr. Bawumia received 4,657,304 votes, representing 41.61%.
Mahama’s return to the presidency also signified a notable triumph for the NDC, which achieved a majority in Parliament, reinforcing the party’s strong resurgence to power.
