Professor Stephen Adei, a former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), has linked the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) 2024 electoral defeat to disillusionment and voter apathy among its supporters.
In an interview with TV3, Professor Adei suggested that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) won not because of a surge in their support base but due to the ruling party’s inability to retain its voters.
“Let me tell you that the NDC didn’t win the elections; that is systematic in the past one also.
In Ghana, always the government loses the election,” he remarked. Comparing the results to the 2020 elections,
Professor Adei noted that John Dramani Mahama only saw a modest increase of 200,000 votes. “Even with the biological increase of NDC members, he didn’t get much, partly not because of his fault but because of people being disillusioned and saying they won’t vote. Much of the loss was that NPP members say enough is enough,” he explained.
He attributed the NPP’s defeat to its lack of attention to pressing issues facing Ghanaians, particularly criticisms of its economic management and governance. According to Professor Adei, the party’s failure to address these challenges alienated some of its supporters, leading to a significant decline in voter turnout within its ranks.
The Electoral Commission declared John Mahama the winner of the 2024 presidential election, securing 6,328,397 votes against Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s 4,657,304 votes. The NDC also made history by gaining a majority in Parliament, further consolidating its electoral success.
Professor Adei’s analysis underscores the importance of voter satisfaction in determining electoral outcomes. He stressed that political parties must remain attentive to the needs and concerns of their base to maintain their support.
source; ghanaweb
