Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, former CEO of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), has firmly rejected attempts to pin the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) 2024 general election defeat solely on Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
In a strongly worded Facebook post, Ofosu Nkansah argued that the election outcome was a referendum on the NPP’s eight years in power, and all party members—from the President to appointees—must share responsibility for the loss.
His remarks come in response to calls by a group known as the Concerned Traders of the NPP in Kumasi, who have urged the party to select a new flagbearer for the 2028 elections, ruling out Dr. Bawumia as a potential candidate. Speaking at a press conference on February 4, 2025, the group’s spokesperson, Benjamin Ofori, blamed the party’s “humiliating defeat” on unpopular government policies and what he described as the “wrong candidate” in Dr. Bawumia. Ofori claimed that the assumption that Dr. Bawumia would secure northern and Islamic votes failed to materialize, leading to significant losses in these regions.
The group highlighted that under Dr. Bawumia’s leadership, the NPP lost four out of the five northern regions, a result they termed “embarrassing.” They also noted that even in Dr. Bawumia’s home region, the margin of victory over former President John Mahama was minimal compared to the 2020 elections, while Mahama secured a much larger victory margin in his own home region.
However, Ofosu Nkansah dismissed these claims, emphasizing that the election loss was a collective failure rather than the fault of one individual. He stated, “Some of us will not tolerate any agenda to push the blame from our 2024 defeat on the candidature of Dr. Bawumia. The election was a referendum on our eight years in power, and some of our people decided not to vote for various reasons. From the President, Vice President, ministers, board chairs, CEOs, appointees, and all those who had direct or indirect power or influence during the eight years, we all may have done something which contributed to the defeat.”
Ofosu Nkansah warned against using Dr. Bawumia as a scapegoat for the ambitions of others within the party. He called for a thorough investigation into the causes of the defeat and urged party members to refrain from rushing to blame one person. “We will resist any false narrative seeking to push the blame on Dr. Bawumia. We should all respect ourselves and wait for the party to conduct full investigations into the cause of the defeat and not rush to blame one person,” he added.
The debate over the NPP’s 2024 defeat highlights deep divisions within the party as it grapples with its electoral loss and strategizes for the future. While some factions seek to attribute the defeat to Dr. Bawumia’s candidacy, others, like Ofosu Nkansah, are calling for a more nuanced and collective approach to understanding the factors that led to the party’s downfall. As the NPP begins its post-election introspection, the coming months will be critical in determining whether the party can unite and rebuild ahead of the 2028 elections.
