Bawumia: I’m not responsible for NPP’s poor showing in Bawku enclave

Former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has dismissed suggestions that he should be blamed for the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) poor showing in the Bawku enclave during the 2024 general elections.

The NPP failed to secure a single seat in the six constituencies that make up the area.

Addressing party supporters at Effiduase in the Ashanti Region on Thursday, September 11, as part of his campaign for the 2026 NPP presidential primaries, Dr. Bawumia rejected claims that the party’s losses were linked to the long-running Mamprusi-Kusasi conflict.

“They claim we lost the 2024 elections because of the Mamprusi-Kusasi conflict. Those claims will not wash. They would have given me a knock-out if it’s true because I’m a Mamprusi. I was not even born when the conflict started,” he stated.

He argued that the NPP’s struggles in the Bawku enclave are historical, noting that the area has traditionally been a stronghold of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“Since 1965, there have been 11 elections in Ghana, in the Bawku zone, which has six constituencies. The NPP has won only two seats, being the highest. In most of the elections, we had zero seats in six of the 11 elections,” Bawumia explained.

Citing past contests, Dr. Bawumia recalled that even during periods of national victory, the NPP failed to win in the enclave.

“In 2004, former president J. A. Kufuor won the election, but the NPP scored zero in the Bawku zone. In 2012, former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was the flagbearer, but we had zero seats in the Bawku zone. We were not part of the conflict. In 2024, we had zero seats in the Bawku enclave. If you look at the trajectory, was I the cause? I can’t be blamed for our poor performance in the Bawku zone, which is an NDC stronghold,” he emphasized.

The six constituencies in the Bawku enclave are Zebilla, Garu, Bawku Central, Binduri, Tempane, and Pusiga.