Pollster Mussa Dankwa has dismissed assertions that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s early concession following the 2024 presidential election contributed to the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) parliamentary defeats.
Dankwa maintains the former vice president’s decision prioritized national stability.
In a social media statement, Dankwa argued that defeated NPP parliamentary candidates lost their seats due to factors predating the concession. He questioned how a presidential concession speech could directly impact separate parliamentary contests, emphasizing that results are determined at polling stations, not during post-election statements.
The pollster praised Bawumia for directly addressing critics who claimed his concession demoralized party agents during result collation. Dankwa’s statement reiterated Bawumia’s position that Ghana’s interests must supersede partisan considerations.
Dankwa further challenged critics by drawing parallels to electoral vigilance, implying losses resulted from candidates’ own operational failures rather than the concession. He cautioned against blaming leadership for individual shortcomings in electoral management.
The commentary concluded by condemning attempts to assign responsibility for the NPP’s electoral outcome to Bawumia’s peacekeeping gesture, asserting such critiques overlook pre-existing structural vulnerabilities within the party’s parliamentary campaigns.
