Governance analyst Dr. Palgrave Boakye-Danquah has attributed the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) defeat in the 2024 general election to what he describes as a rejection of former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia by his own people.

According to him, the NPP’s loss stemmed from the fact that Dr. Bawumia’s own tribesmen and Muslim communities across the country did not rally behind his candidacy.

Speaking on Breakfast Daily on Channel One TV on Monday, August 25, 2025, Dr. Boakye-Danquah argued that the voting patterns in the North and in Muslim-dominated communities revealed a deep lack of trust in the NPP flagbearer.

“He should tell us why we lost. He should tell us why we lost in all Zongos, why we lost in all Muslim communities, he should tell us why we lost in all Kusasi communities … The data is very clear why we lost.

“We know why we lost. If we lost because Muslims themselves didn’t vote, those reasons will remain. If we lost because a particular tribe did not vote, the reasons will remain,” he said.

Dr. Boakye-Danquah further compared Bawumia’s performance to that of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, noting that Akufo-Addo, who is not from the North, fared better in the region during his candidacies.

“Why is it that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the entire northern sector will have about 35% of the vote, and John Dramani Mahama would have about 65% of the vote, and Nana Addo will go ahead and win the 2020 election? And why is it that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia becomes the flagbearer and goes into the election, and he has over 22%—a reduction from 35% to 22%? Why would John Dramani Mahama ascend from 65% almost to 72% in the entire northern sector?” he questioned.

His comments come in response to Dr. Bawumia’s recent defense that he should not be blamed for the NPP’s 2024 electoral defeat.

The former vice president and flagbearer hopeful had argued that his critics should instead focus on the findings of the Prof. Mike Oquaye-led committee report, which details the factors behind the party’s poor performance.