"Our people didn't vote" – Bawumia explains why the NPP lost

Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has addressed members of the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) communications team for the first time since the party's loss in the December 7 presidential election.

The meeting, held at his residence, saw Dr. Bawumia reflect on the reasons behind the party’s defeat and chart a way forward for the NPP.

“It was a big disappointment, there’s no doubt about it, when the results came,” he began, expressing his frustration at the outcome. The declared results from 267 constituencies, excluding nine yet-to-be-declared constituencies, show that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Mr. John Dramani Mahama, polled 6,328,397 votes, representing 56.55% of the valid votes cast. Dr. Bawumia, the NPP’s candidate, secured 4,657,304 votes, representing 41.61%.

Reflecting on the campaign, Dr. Bawumia said: “Because all the work we had done was pointing to the fact that we would win this election. There was clear evidence on the ground as we went to all the 276 constituencies. It was clear that we were going to do well.”

However, he pointed out a significant issue that emerged on election day: low voter turnout. “Turnout, it’s so low, and everybody was wondering what was happening, why, where our people? And that was from Axim all the way to Zebilla, you know, the whole country, you know. What is going on, where our people? Turned out that 2.1 million of us decided to stay here too. You know, and that was it.”

Dr. Bawumia indicated that the issue of low turnout was consistent across the country. “It’s almost as if they had a meeting and decided on the message, you know, the same message. No matter which constituency you went to, they will tell you they will not vote. So at least we know where the problem is.”

Determined to address the issue, he outlined the next steps for the party. “To solve a problem, you have to know what it is. So our people didn’t vote. That was the problem. The question now is why they didn’t vote. That is the question, and that is the research question we are going to answer now.”

Dr. Bawumia revealed that the party has the tools to investigate further: “Thankfully, it’s not guesswork. We know all the individuals who did not vote in every polling station, so it’s not guesswork. So the research is going to speak to them, individual by individual, polling station by polling, to get a sense of why they did not vote. That can only be the basis on which we can move forward. Otherwise, it will be guesswork.”

Despite the loss, Dr. Bawumia commended the efforts of the NPP communications team, highlighting their dominance in the digital space. “I must tell you that I’m very proud of you. Very, very, very, very proud. We did very well. You did an excellent job. I must congratulate you. You dominated the NDC in social media. I mean, by far, by far, very, very clearly.”

He acknowledged challenges the party faced, particularly in traditional media. “We were working against their ownership of support from key media houses. So we had to, but you fought very hard at the time you had the opportunity. So thank you.”

Dr. Bawumia concluded with an appreciation of the team’s hard work and urged them to stay focused as the party transitions into opposition: “I’ve been following the competition very closely over the campaign because I wanted to know how things were going across the space. So now we are in opposition.”

The Vice President’s remarks mark the beginning of a period of reflection and strategic planning for the NPP as they prepare to regroup for future elections.