GHANA’S New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate, Buhamudu Bawumia, has conceded defeat in Saturday’s presidential and parliamentary elections conducted in the country.
Bawumia, the incumbent Vice President, accepted his defeat by former President John Mahama and the candidate of the major opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Sunday morning as collation of the result was ongoing.
The Electoral Commission earlier announced that it had yet to get the results from any of the 276 constituencies in the country.
In an address at his residence in the Cantonments area of Accra, Bawumia said the results his party collated indicated that Mahama won the poll.
“I have just called His Excellency John Dramani Mahama to congratulate him as President-Elect of the Republic of Ghana. I said during the signing of the peace pact that I was sure of two things. Ghana will win and peace will reign. The people of Ghana have spoken.
“The people have voted for change at this time, and we respect that decision with all humility. I thank God Almighty for how far he has brought me, and I submit to His will. I am making this concession speech before the official announcement by the Electoral Commission to avoid further tension and preserve the peace of our country,” he said.
Bawumia called on investors globally to continue to see Ghana as an investment destination.
He submitted that his party never wished to lose the poll, adding that the loss was part of the democratic process.
“Ghana is more important than our individual political ambitions, and we must always put Ghana first.”
He promised that the outgoing government would ensure a smooth transition so that the government business would continue seamlessly, stressing that the NPP would offer the needed support to the new government.
“We have conceded defeat like any consummate democrat would do, but we have not abandoned the fight to transform Ghana and expand opportunities to all sections of our society. We will not be a disruptive opposition, even though we would subject government actions and policies to strict scrutiny in the interest of our beloved nation,” Bawumia said.
While appealing to his party to accept the defeat in good faith, he promised that the NPP would reappraise the loss, regroup and return stronger.
The ICIR reports that the NDC and NPP have been in power for 16 years apiece since the country returned to democracy in 1992. The two parties have rotated power for a maximum of two terms since the Fourth Republic.
The NPP has been in power since 2016 when it produced the outgoing Akufo-Ado who leaves office in January 2025.
The ICIR further reports that Bawumia and Mahama have faced each other in the past two polls as a candidate and running mate of the country’s two dominant parties, respectively.
Mahama lost at both polls. He lost while in power and while seeking a second term in 2016. He also lost to Bawumia’s principal – Akufo-Ado – in 2020.
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org