Bryan Acheampong dismisses historical comparisons, says Bawumia’s performance was regressive

Aspiring New Patriotic Party flagbearer, Dr Bryan Acheampong, has delivered a forthright assessment of the party’s 2024 presidential showing, arguing that the results under Dr Mahamudu Bawumia amounted to a clear rejection by the electorate.

Speaking on PM Express, the former Member of Parliament for Abetifi and former Minister of Food and Agriculture said the election figures leave little room for interpretation. In his view, prolonged exposure and extensive promotion did not translate into electoral success.

“Everything ended at 41 per cent,” Dr Acheampong stated, insisting that the outcome reflected market rejection rather than voter uncertainty. He described Dr Bawumia as the most extensively promoted candidate in the party’s history, having spent eight years as Vice President after another eight years as a running mate.

“Sixteen years of marketing produced 41 per cent,” he said.

He contrasted that outcome with the party’s experience under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, noting that Akufo-Addo secured 49.7 per cent after just eight months of national campaigning during his first presidential attempt.

“That comparison does not help the argument being made. It makes the situation worse,” he argued.

Dr Acheampong further cited the party’s 2024 electoral map as unprecedented and deeply concerning. According to him, the NPP failed to secure a single presidential constituency in seven regions.

“He could not win seven regions in this country,” he said, listing Volta, Oti, Upper East, Upper West, Savannah and Bono East among those where the party recorded zero presidential constituency wins.

He explained that expectations going into the 2024 race had been significantly higher, particularly regarding performance in the northern parts of the country.

“One of the key beliefs in 2023 was that presenting Dr Bawumia would help us hold the northern vote,” he said, adding that the assumption collapsed at the polls.

“Out of the regions where we failed completely, five are in the northern half of Ghana,” he noted.

Dr Acheampong also highlighted setbacks in other traditionally competitive areas. In the Western Region, he said the party contested 17 constituencies but secured only one presidential win. In the Central Region, just two presidential constituencies were won out of 23, while in Greater Accra, the NPP managed only two presidential victories out of 34 constituencies.

“These are the realities the delegates must consider,” he said, stressing that personal attributes or historical arguments cannot outweigh performance.

Returning to his market analogy, Dr Acheampong said political parties, like businesses, are guided by results.

“If you market someone for 16 years and get 41 per cent, and another for eight months and get nearly 50 per cent, then clearly the sales did not meet expectations,” he said. “People will change the product.”

When reminded that political history often favours candidates who contest multiple times before winning, Dr Acheampong rejected the parallel, insisting that the NPP’s tradition has been driven by measurable improvement rather than routine repetition.

“We don’t operate on habit. We operate on performance,” he said.

He cited the party’s decisions in previous elections, explaining that former President John Agyekum Kufuor was given another chance because his vote share improved over time, eventually leading to victory. He made a similar case for Nana Akufo-Addo, whose electoral performance steadily increased before winning the presidency.

“In each case, the numbers went up,” he said. “That growth justified a return.”

Dr Acheampong concluded that the same standard must apply going forward, arguing that delegates would ultimately base their decisions on electoral outcomes rather than sentiment or longevity.