The National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, has said that the margin by which the Vice President, Dr Bawumia Mahamudu won the New Patriotic Party’s flagbearer contest is embarrassing.
Mr Gyamfi believes that Dr Bawumia’s win indicates a vote of no confidence, particularly when compared to the number of votes garnered by his closest contender, Kennedy Agyapong.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, November 5, the NDC Communications Officer expressed the view that the Vice President’s performance was subpar compared to then-candidate Akufo-Addo.
According to Gyamfi, this indicates a significant vote of no confidence in his leadership by nearly 40% of delegates in his own party.
He compared Dr Bawumia’s win with the 98.9% obtained by John Mahama in the 2023 NDC primary, as well as the 78.89% and 94.4% obtained by Candidate Akufo-Addo in the 2010 and 2014 NPP primaries, respectively.
“This is the man a paltry 61% of NPP delegates have elected as their flagbearer for the 2024 election; a man bereft of credibility and vision; a man who has proven time and again to be a pathological liar; a comical character whose campaign to be President is based on his ethnicity and religion and not his competence.”
“Ghanaians currently find themselves in a total mess. Hopelessness, recklessness, bankruptcy, hardships, corruption and nepotism define the current state of our nation today. This mess is a product of bad leadership and nothing more,” an excerpt of his post said
Certified election results revealed that Dr Bawumia secured 61.43% of the votes, with Mr Agyapong as his closest competitor, garnering 37.41%. Dr. Afriyie Akoto and Addai-Nimoh received 1,459 and 731 votes, respectively.
A total of 192,446 delegates participated in the presidential primary, with a turnout of 94.63%. While Dr Bawumia’s victory was expected, he fell short of the 80% target set by his campaign team.
Dr. Bawumia’s win is historic, marking the first time a non-Akan leader will represent the NPP in a general election. He has been the running mate of President Akufo-Addo since 2008.
The 2024 election is anticipated to be highly competitive, with both Dr Bawumia and former President Mahama considered formidable candidates. The outcome will depend on several factors, including the state of the economy, campaign strategies, and voter turnout.
Furthermore, all other candidates have pledged their support to Dr. Bawumia.