A Deputy National Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Ernest Owusu Bempah, says the party’s defeat in the 2024 general elections was largely due to the selection of what he described as the wrong candidate.
The NPP, which contested the election with Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as its presidential candidate, lost by over 1.7 million votes to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama.
From holding 137 seats in Parliament, the NPP dropped to just 88 seats—losing nearly 50 seats to the now-ruling NDC, which commands almost a two-thirds majority in the House.
Reacting to the outcome in an interview on Kumasi-based Oyerepa TV, Mr Owusu Bempah said some party members boycotted the elections, while others voted for the NDC due to their disapproval of Dr Bawumia’s candidacy.
“For the first time, I met a taxi driver who is an NPP member. He told me he voted for the NDC in the 2024 election. He even showed me his party card and said he couldn’t vote for the candidate we presented,” he claimed.
He reiterated the party’s position that more than two million voters who supported them in 2020 stayed away from the polls in 2024.
“Go down there with a hidden camera and ask ordinary people why they didn’t vote. 2.1 million people decided not to vote—do you think it’s a joke? NPP party base, supporters refused to vote. Do you know what that means?” he questioned.
Meanwhile, the party is awaiting the outcome of a review committee chaired by Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye to determine the causes of its historic defeat.
