Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu on the defeat of NPP in 2024

Former Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has stated that if the elections had been held in August 2024 instead of December 2024, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the NPP flagbearer, would have received approximately 30% of the votes.

During a recent interview, the former MP for Suame Constituency acknowledged that Dr. Bawumia’s campaign lacked the needed enthusiasm to win the elections.  He attributed the defeat of the flagbearer and the party to economic hardships and other issues that were more pronounced earlier in the year. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noted that the economic struggles following the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war negatively impacted the party’s fortunes, leading to the lack of enthusiasm during Bawumia’s campaign. He mentioned the absence of large crowds at their campaigns unlike what they garnered in previous elections.

He said, “I started seeing signs that the election would not be easy, but we still hoped for a better outcome. The fact that the elections were held in December allowed us to regain some support. If they had been conducted in August, Dr Bawumia would have polled around 30% against John Mahama because, at that time, economic hardships were severe.

Osei Kyei-Mensah further stated that improvements in economic situations at the time of the election helped Dr. Bawumia to gain more votes.

In the actual election held in December 2024, Dr. Bawumia garnered 4,877,611 votes (41.75%) against his main opponent John Dramani Mahama who got 6,591,790 (56.42%).

Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also highlighted other factors contributing to the NPP’s defeat, including Bawumia’s close association with President Akufo-Addo and perceptions of neglect in the Ashanti region, a traditional stronghold of the NPP.

With regards to the future of the New Patriotic Party, Osei-Kyei Mensah stated that the former president Nana Akuffo-Addo was no longer the leader of the party and any potential flagbearer would need to build upon his legacy.

He made these statements regarding the findings from the Ashanti Region on the party’s significant loss in the 2024 elections.