Most NPP members didn't vote in 2024 because they wanted Kennedy Agyapong not Bawumia

Ernest Owusu Bempah, Deputy Communications Officer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), has alleged that the party’s choice of presidential candidate for the 2024 general elections led to a significant voter abstention among its members.

Speaking in an interview on Oyerepa TV, Owusu Bempah claimed that over two million NPP supporters chose not to vote due to dissatisfaction with the leadership’s decision to field Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the then Vice President, as the party’s candidate instead of former Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong

Owusu Bempah, who previously served as Communications Director for Ghana Gas during the Akufo-Addo administration, argued that the decision alienated many party members, resulting in a disappointing voter turnout. He recounted an encounter with an NPP-affiliated taxi driver who admitted to voting for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in protest of the party’s choice of candidate.

“For the first time, I met a taxi driver who is a member of NPP who told me that he voted for the NDC in the 2024 election. He showed me his party card, and the reason is that we didn’t take the right candidate for him to come and vote for,” Owusu Bempah stated.

While he did not provide scientific data to substantiate his claims, Owusu Bempah insisted that as many as 2.1 million NPP members abstained from voting. He criticized the party’s leadership for failing to consider the views of its grassroots supporters during the candidate selection process.

“Go down there with a hidden camera and ask the ordinary people why they refused to vote. 2.1 million decided not to go and vote. Do you think it is a joke? NPP party base supporters refused to vote. Do you know what that means?” he argued.

Owusu Bempah called for transparency and accountability, urging the Prof. Mike Oquaye Committee, tasked with reviewing the election results, to release its findings. He expressed hope that the committee’s report would shed light on the factors behind the party’s poor performance and guide efforts to rebuild its support base.

As the NPP looks ahead to future elections, party leaders are expected to assess the 2024 results and strategize on how to re-engage with their membership and strengthen the party’s position.