Kwesi Botchwey Junior, an aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has dismissed claims that the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) defeat in the 2024 general elections was linked to the tribal background of its flagbearer.

Speaking on Citi Eyewitness News on Monday, August 25, Mr. Botchwey argued that the party’s electoral loss was primarily the result of governance and leadership decisions during the NPP’s tenure, rather than issues of ethnicity or religion.

“If we are to have a conversation as to why the NPP lost the 2024 election, you can mention a whole lot of factors that led to the flop, both internal and external. Externally, the Russia-Ukraine war had its impact.

“Internally, it was about the government’s own decisions, the reshuffle or not to reshuffle, the handling of the domestic debt exchange, the introduction of taxes like the E-Levy and betting tax, the slow pace of infrastructure development, and unemployment. These are what people were unhappy about,” he explained.

Mr. Botchwey maintained that these challenges shaped voter sentiment ahead of the polls, and dismissed suggestions that Dr. Bawumia’s northern roots or Islamic faith were decisive in the outcome.

“There is a whole list of matters that contributed to the defeat, but nothing points to the idea that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s tribe or religion caused the NPP’s loss,” he insisted.

His response followed comments made by Abetifi MP and flagbearer hopeful, Dr. Bryan Acheampong, who linked the party’s 2024 electoral failure to tribal dynamics. Addressing party supporters on Saturday, August 23, Dr. Acheampong suggested that Bawumia’s candidacy alienated sections of the northern electorate due to historic ethnic rivalries.

He further argued that previous NPP leaders, including John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, secured stronger support from the north because they were viewed as more neutral figures in the region’s tribal politics.