In a conversation with party communicators following his defeat in the 2024 presidential election, New Patriotic Party (NPP) vice president and presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, shared his reflections on the election outcome and the challenges faced by the party.
With a sense of disappointment but also clarity, Bawumia acknowledged the root cause of their loss: low voter turnout among NPP supporters.
“So, at least you know where the problem is. And to solve the problem, you have to know what it is, so our people didn’t vote. That was the problem,” Bawumia said, speaking to his party communicators.
“The question now is why they didn’t vote, and that is a research question we are going to answer now.”
Bawumia’s statement highlights a crucial aspect of the election campaign—the importance of understanding voter behaviour.
Despite the NPP’s rigorous campaigning and a belief that victory was within reach, the low turnout among their supporters was a setback they did not anticipate.
The vice president acknowledged that the party’s hard work was evident, but there was an undeniable disconnect on election day.
“I must say we worked very hard, and I am very proud of the communication team,” Bawumia continued. “We were working against their ownership of, or support from, key media houses. Isn’t it so?
Put that as a disadvantage in many ways in terms of communication. We had a lot of these key media houses who were not on our side.”
