Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, former Vice President of Ghana and flagbearer hopeful for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has asserted that the party’s defeat in the December 2024 general elections was due largely to internal voter apathy, rather than the strength of the opposition.
“NPP’s votes went down. About 2.1 million people who voted for us in 2020 did not vote in 2024. These were NPP members — we simply didn’t vote,” Dr Bawumia said at the launch of his “Our Journey Together” campaign in the Sene East constituency on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
He argued that many NPP supporters who voted in 2020 did not turn out in 2024 — a shortfall that, he claims, cost the party victory.
He suggested that, based on the numbers, the NDC’s margin of victory (approximately 1.7 million votes) was smaller than the number of NPP supporters who stayed away from the polls — implying that mobilization failures within his own party were decisive.
He maintained that if those members had participated, the NPP would have emerged victorious.
“John Mahama secured victory with 1.7 million votes. If our 2.1 million members had turned out, we would have won. That is why I said it wasn’t the NDC that won the election — it was the NPP that lost it,” he stated.
In his remarks, Bawumia did not absolve responsibility entirely but emphasized that the path forward for NPP lies in internal healing, unity, and effective grassroots mobilization.
He expressed optimism that by resolving internal fissures and building stronger commitment among members, the party can win back the trust of its base and recapture power in the 2028 elections.
“So, I am confident that, by the grace of God, if we resolve our internal issues and go out to vote, we will win the next election,” he noted.
He also urged campaign operatives to eschew personal attacks and focus on policy, performance, and the party’s vision.
