Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the 2024 New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate, has outlined several reasons for the party’s electoral defeat. He pointed to economic pressures, policy controversies, and internal governance issues as major factors. Speaking at the Takoradi Technical University auditorium during his nationwide Thank You Tour, Dr. Bawumia stressed that the loss could not be blamed solely on religious bias, as deeper structural problems played a key role.
He further explained that these challenges severely impacted the lives of Ghanaians, especially under the strain of the IMF’s debt restructuring programme. Dr. Bawumia emphasized the need to understand the broader economic and political environment to fully grasp the reasons behind the party’s performance in the election.
"When you study all the reports we have so far, certain factors were highlighted. These include the high cost of living; the prices of goods and services went up and left many Ghanaians struggling. Another factor that was highlighted is the arrogance of power; we were not willing to listen."
"The party members told us to conduct a reshuffle, but after eight years we didn’t listen. The party members told us they didn’t want E-levy, but we implemented it. Again, the party members told us that the DDEP was going to be a major challenge, but we went ahead to implement it."
"Things were bad, and we were not able to pay NABCO; those employed under youth and afforestation, caterers and others were also not being paid"
Dr Bawumia also pointed out that the party’s poor performance in key regions was due to inadequate campaign efforts.
"Even in the regions that give us some votes, we didn’t put in a lot of work there. Western Region is an example"
He further emphasised that internal disunity significantly weakened the NPP’s campaign, providing an opportunity for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to take advantage of their missteps.