Former Vice President and 2024 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has attributed the party’s defeat in the 2024 general elections to low voter turnout among its members.
Speaking during the NPP’s “Thank You” tour on Wednesday, April 23, at the party headquarters in Accra, Dr. Bawumia revealed that approximately 2.1 million party supporters failed to show up at the polls, which he believes played a major role in the party’s loss.
“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.
“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,” he said.
The 2024 presidential election, held on December 7, saw a fierce contest between the two leading candidates, Dr. Bawumia of the NPP and John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
On Monday, December 9, the Electoral Commission (EC) declared John Mahama the winner of the presidential race. He secured 6,328,397 votes, representing 56.55% of the valid ballots cast. His main contender, Dr. Bawumia, garnered 4,657,304 votes, amounting to 41.61%.
Mahama’s return to the presidency also marked a significant victory for the NDC, which clinched a majority in Parliament, consolidating the party’s strong comeback to power.
