Bawumia Attributes NPP’s 2024 Election Loss to Voter Apathy, Calls for Post-Election Review

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President and the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential candidate for the 2024 general election, has attributed the party’s defeat to widespread voter apathy.

Speaking at a meeting with committee members in Accra on December 23, 2024, Dr. Bawumia suggested that a significant portion of the party’s supporters, approximately 2 million people, failed to turn out to vote, leading to what he described as the NPP’s most humiliating defeat in the Fourth Republic.

Dr. Bawumia expressed his disbelief over how such a large number of supporters did not participate in the election, despite the party’s comprehensive policy proposals presented to the electorate. He speculated that it seemed as though party members had collectively decided not to vote. “It was as if our people held a meeting across the country and decided they wouldn’t go out to vote,” he said.

The Vice President also took the opportunity to thank members of the manifesto sub-committees for their hard work in developing a detailed policy document for the election, emphasizing that the policies presented were transformative and beneficial for the country. Despite the defeat, Dr. Bawumia expressed pride in the manifesto and its contents, urging committee members not to feel that their efforts were in vain.

Looking ahead, Dr. Bawumia stressed the importance of conducting a comprehensive post-mortem to understand why such a large number of party members abstained from voting. He assured that the party would undertake thorough research as part of the reorganization process to inform future actions.

In closing, Dr. Bawumia expressed his gratitude to all involved in the campaign, promising that the NPP would benefit from the manifesto in the future, with hope for a renewed effort moving forward. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who chaired the manifesto committee for the 2024 Bawumia Campaign, was also present at the meeting.