The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for election 2024, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has rejected claims that his Muslim faith was a key reason behind the party’s loss in the 2024 general elections.
Speaking at the party’s headquarters on Wednesday, April 23, ahead of the NPP’s ‘Thank You Tour’, Dr Bawumia described the assertions as baseless and not supported by evidence, urging Ghanaians to focus on data rather than propaganda.
“When we finished the election, there were so many people who were giving different reasons why we lost. When you look at the reasons people were offering, one of the reasons people offered was that they said that they didn’t vote for us [NPP] because our presidential candidate was Muslim. Have you not heard that? When I heard that, I said, This doesn’t make sense. This is not the Ghana that I know,” he stated.
Dr Bawumia highlighted the outcome of the NPP primaries to debunk the claim, pointing out that despite being the only Muslim among 10 candidates, nine of whom were Christians, he was overwhelmingly chosen by the party.
He also referenced electoral data to further refute the religious bias narrative. “When you look at the results, in many constituencies across the country, I outperformed Christian parliamentary candidates on the NPP ticket. If religion were a factor, that wouldn’t be the case,” he explained.
Also, citing the example of Reverend Ntim Fordjour, the NPP MP for Assin South, Dr Bawumia noted that he even secured more votes in Fordjour’s constituency. Dr Bawumia further referenced findings from various independent research bodies, including Global Info Analytics and other institutions, which all concluded that neither religion nor ethnicity influenced the 2024 election results.
“It’s only propaganda,” he asserted. “All the research ruled out religion and tribe as factors. I’m proud that as a party—and as a country—our political choices are not driven by religious or tribal identities.”
He urged Ghanaians to reject divisive narratives and remain united. “We are one nation. Whether Muslim or Christian, we rise and move forward together.”
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