, has firmly rejected claims that his Muslim faith played a role in the party’s loss in the 2024 general elections.){kind=link}
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the 2024 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has firmly rejected claims that his Muslim faith played a role in the party’s loss in the 2024 general elections.
Speaking at the NPP headquarters in Accra on Wednesday as part of activities ahead of the party’s nationwide “Thank You Tour,” Dr. Bawumia described the assertion as unfounded and baseless, urging Ghanaians to focus on data rather than divisive propaganda.
“When we finished the election, there were so many people giving different reasons why we lost,” Dr. Bawumia said. “One of the reasons people offered was that they didn’t vote for us because our presidential candidate was Muslim. When I heard that, I said, this doesn’t make sense. This is not the Ghana that I know.”
To refute the claim, Dr. Bawumia pointed to his resounding victory in the NPP presidential primaries, where he was overwhelmingly chosen over nine other contenders—nine of whom were Christians. He argued that this internal support was clear evidence that religion was not a barrier within the party.
Further strengthening his argument, Dr. Bawumia cited electoral results showing that he outperformed several Christian NPP parliamentary candidates in various constituencies across the country. “If religion were a factor, that wouldn’t be the case,” he noted.
The Vice President also referenced Assin South, the constituency of Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, an NPP MP and a Christian, stating that he garnered more votes there than the sitting MP.
Additionally, Dr. Bawumia referred to findings from Global Info Analytics and other independent research bodies, which concluded that neither religion nor ethnicity influenced the 2024 election outcome. “It’s only propaganda,” he said. “All the research ruled out religion and tribe as factors.”
Calling for national unity, Dr. Bawumia emphasized that Ghana’s political landscape should not be reduced to religious or tribal lines. “We are one nation. Whether Muslim or Christian, we rise and move forward together.”