Election 2024: Bawumia Reveals Behind-the-Scenes Tensions Over Early Concession Call
Bawumia defends his historic decision amid internal resistance
- Dr. Bawumia conceded defeat just hours after vote counting began
- His campaign team opposed the move, citing concerns over incomplete data and potential political fallout
- Bawumia defended the decision as necessary to prevent tension and safeguard Ghana’s peace and stability
The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has revealed that his decision to concede defeat in the December 7 election was met with resistance from his campaign team.
Dr. Bawumia conceded defeat on December 8, mere hours after vote counting began. The following day, the Electoral Commission declared John Dramani Mahama the winner, securing 6,328,397 votes, equivalent to 56.55% of the valid votes cast.
Addressing supporters at his residence on Thursday, December 26, Dr. Bawumia stated that his early concession was motivated by a commitment to maintaining peace and stability in Ghana.
“So, even though the Electoral Commission had not yet pronounced [the winner], some of my team members were against it, saying, ‘You can’t go out to concede; we don’t know if all this data is right, let’s wait.’ But I said, ‘Look, we know this data is right from our own system.’
“If you wait, you build up more tension, and violence could arise because people would think we are trying to rig the election. But nobody had ever conceded an election without the EC’s pronouncement, and I said, ‘There is a first time for everything.’”
