In the wake of his significant loss to John Dramani Mahama in the 2024 presidential elections, Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has addressed his supporters, offering his first public comments on the unexpected outcome.
Speaking from his home to a group of NPP loyalists who came to express solidarity, Bawumia appeared calm but resolute in his response.
“I have to admit, the results were not what we anticipated. It came as a surprise to me,” Bawumia stated, visibly taken aback by the electoral outcome. However, he didn’t dwell on the defeat for long, shifting the narrative towards his analysis of the election results.
According to Bawumia, the victory of Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was not so much a reflection of the electorate’s true choice but a result of what he described as “self-inflicted wounds” by the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
“I believe the NPP handed the victory to the NDC,” Bawumia asserted. “This was not a genuine endorsement of Mahama; it was more about our own inability to rally our supporters effectively.”
One of the key reasons Bawumia cited for the party’s loss was the significant drop in voter turnout. He attributed this decline to the apathy of NPP supporters, suggesting that many were disillusioned and chose not to participate in the election.
“We saw a drop in voter turnout, and that’s something we cannot ignore. Many of our supporters just didn’t show up to vote,” he explained.
“On the other hand, the NDC did not experience any major surge in support. Their victory came not from an overwhelming endorsement but from our own failures.”
While many would expect Bawumia to be disheartened, he remained upbeat about the future. “Yes, we’ve lost this battle, but not the war,” Bawumia declared. “We will learn from this and come back stronger in the future. This is not the end for us.”
