Bawumia will never repeat 2024 early concession— Kpandai MP
The Member of Parliament for Kpandai, Matthew Nyindam, has argued that former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia's early concession in the 2024 general election negatively affected the New Patriotic Party's parliamentary fortunes.
Dr. Bawumia, who led the NPP into the 2024 election, conceded defeat to President John Dramani Mahama less than 12 hours after polls closed, following a decisive victory for the National Democratic Congress.
Speaking on Accra-based Joy Prime TV, Mr. Nyindam asserted that the outcome in several constituencies could have been different had the concession come later.
According to him, the concession dampened the morale of party supporters and agents at a critical stage of the electoral process, contributing to losses in some parliamentary constituencies
“Yes, it would have been different ...and I'm sure that no candidate will repeat that,” the lawmaker said.
The lawmaker claimed that some parliamentary seats currently held by the NDC might have remained with the NPP if party supporters had remained motivated throughout the collation process.
He cited constituencies including Dome-Kwabenya and Ablekuma North among areas where the party faced challenges after the concession.
“If Bawumia gets opportunity to go for any elections, he will never repeat that,” Mr. Nyindam stated.
He further argued that the experience has become a lesson for political parties and future presidential candidates.
According to him, no presidential candidate would concede defeat before results from all constituencies have been fully collated and outstanding electoral issues resolved.
“Going into the 2028 elections, if a candidate is not too sure that all the 276 constituencies collation is done and everybody is safe, the presidential candidate will never concede,” he added.
The NPP suffered a significant setback in the 2024 elections, losing both the presidency and its parliamentary majority, with its seats in Parliament falling from 137 to 88.