Kwesi Botchwey Junior, an aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has refuted allegations that the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) loss in the 2024 general elections was associated with the ethnic background of its flagbearer.
In an interview on Monday, August 25, Mr. Botchwey contended that the party’s electoral defeat was chiefly due to governance and leadership choices made during the NPP’s administration, rather than factors related to ethnicity or religion.
“If we are to discuss the reasons behind the NPP’s loss in the 2024 election, numerous factors can be cited. These contributed to the failure both from within and outside the party. Externally, the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war was significant.
“Internally, it revolved around the government’s own decisions, such as whether to implement a reshuffle or not. Other internal issues included the management of the domestic debt exchange and the introduction of taxes such as the E-Levy and betting tax. The sluggish pace of infrastructure development and rising unemployment also played a role. These are the issues that dissatisfied the populace,” he elaborated.
Mr. Botchwey asserted that these difficulties influenced voter attitudes leading up to the elections, and he rejected claims that Dr. Bawumia’s northern heritage or Islamic beliefs played a crucial role in the election results.
“There exists a comprehensive list of factors that led to the defeat, but none indicate that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s ethnicity or faith was responsible for the NPP’s loss,” he emphasized.
His remarks came in response to statements made by Abetifi MP and flagbearer aspirant, Dr. Bryan Acheampong, who attributed the party’s 2024 electoral setback to tribal issues. While addressing party supporters on Saturday, August 23, Dr. Acheampong implied that Bawumia’s candidacy distanced certain segments of the northern electorate due to historical ethnic conflicts.
He further posited that former NPP leaders, including John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, garnered greater support from the north because they were perceived as more impartial figures in the region’s tribal politics.
