Why NPP suffered humiliating defeat

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) 's determination to achieve the historic eight-year electoral jinx after chalking decisive electoral victories in the 2016 and 2020 general elections hit the rocks on December 7, 2024, as the party suffered a devastating defeat to its political opponent, the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

In 2016, the NPP beat the NDC by about one million votes and secured 169 parliamentarians compared to the NDC's 106.

Although the NPP won the 2020 presidential election by beating the NDC by 500,000 votes, the parliamentary polls were quite different. Both parties secured 137 legislators apiece, making Parliament a hung one.

The NPP, however, was lucky to get the majority in Parliament, thanks to an independent parliamentarian, Amoako Asiamah, who decided to join the NPP caucus.

In the December 7, 2024 general election, the NPP's 6.7 million presidential votes reduced to 4,877,611, while the NDC's votes appreciated from 6.2 million to 6,591,790.

While the NDC's votes appreciated by nearly 400,000, the NPP's votes decreased by over 1.8 million.

Factors

Several factors accounted for the NPP's dismal performance in the 2024 general election.

Prominent among the factors leading to the NPP's humiliating defeat, which was unheard of in the party's electoral history, was the delegates’ system of electing parliamentary candidates for the 2024 general election, which resulted in apathy by most of the party's registered voters.

The majority of the voters, numbering between 40,000 and 180,000 depending on the sizes of the constituencies who did not support an elected parliamentary candidate, did not complain openly, but waited for the general election to demonstrate their disapproval of the candidates by either voting against them or refusing to turn up for the election.

Many NPP supporters’ aloof behaviour on voting day negatively affected the party's chances of winning the polls.

The NPP supporters' lukewarm attitude on December 7, 2024, caused the party's electoral defeat. In the 2024 general election, the NPP secured 6.7 million presidential votes as against the NDC's 6.2 million, showing a difference of 500,000 votes.

However, in the 2024 general election, the NPP's presidential candidate, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, garnered 4,876,611 which showed a deficit of 1,822,389, while the votes of NDC's John Mahama appreciated from 6.2 million votes to 6,591,790, showing an increase of 391,790.

Leading members

Many leading members of the NPP have condemned the delegate's system of electing parliamentary candidates since that was the major cause that affected the party's electoral fortunes in the 2024 general election.

Among them is the former Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who had been for many years an advocate against the delegates’ system for electing parliamentary candidates.

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu reiterated his stance for the abolition of the delegates’ system on Womtumi television on January 13, 2025, as, according to him, “it hurt the NPP in last year's general election.”

A former Director of NADMO, Mr George Ayisi, at a panel discussion on Joy News, recently also condemned the delegate's system of electing parliamentary candidates for the NPP as it caused havoc for the party in the December 2024 general election.

Other leading members of the NPP, who have spoken against the abolition of the delegates system of electing NPP parliamentary candidates include Dr Ishak Kyei Brobbey, Dr Solomon Kwarteng Fokuo and Dr Afriyie, all senior lecturers at the Kumasi Technical University, who made their disapproval known in panel discussions on Womtumi television.

Contributing to a panel discussion on Asempa FM recently, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, the MP for Akyem Swedru, also attributed the NPP's humiliating electoral defeat to the delegates’ system.

He said to his dismay, some NPP registered voters in his constituency approached him on the voting day for money before casting their votes with the explanation that as they were not delegates, they did not benefit from the money and other juicy inducements.

Apart from the delegates’ system, the other factors that contributed to the NPP's devastating electoral defeat included the imposition of parliamentary candidates by the national, regional and constituency executives and disunity in the party.

The rest were corruption and arrogance on the part of some NPP officials, unresolved internal party conflicts, undue delay in reshuffling ministers, the construction of the national cathedral which did not receive the support of many Ghanaians, economic challenges, especially depreciation of the cedi against the major international currencies such as the dollar, which caused losses for traders including importers.

The rest were the failure to release resources to NPP communicators at the regional and constituency levels to educate the masses on the need to vote for the NPP presidential and parliamentary candidates.

The response given by former President Akufo-Addo that he did not hold anybody’s thumb to vote on the ballot paper, when the chief of Mamponteng complained about the poor roads in his traditional area was also a contributory factor to the NPP’s defeat.

My advice to the NPP's top hierarchy is to amend their ways to make a positive impact in the next general election.

The ruling NDC should also learn a lesson from the factors that sent the NPP into opposition to reign for a long time.