The 2024 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has disclosed that his decision to concede defeat early in the December 07 polls was opposed by his team.
He says they did not welcome his decision to come out with a concession speech barely 16 hours into the counting of the ballots.
But according to him, he prioritised the peace of the country by subduing the tension that was lingering by coming out early to uphold the peace and stability of the nation.
The Vice President, on December 08, just some hours after the close of polls the previous day, announced his concession to the nation, saying he had called and congratulated his main contender, John Dramani Mahama, who emerged winner at the polls.
This was before the Electoral Commission (EC) officially came out to declare its results.
The Commission on Monday, December 09, announced John Dramani Mahama as the winner of the election, garnering 6,328,397 votes, which accounted for 56.55% of the valid votes cast.
At a visit by some party supporters to his resident Thursday, December 26, 2024, Dr. Bawumia detailed the events that preceded his concession, revealing that his commitment to safeguarding Ghana’s democratic principles and ensuring the country remained peaceful trumped what his team members were saying.
“The stability of Ghana must always come first,” he stated, underscoring his dedication to the nation’s greater good.
The NPP flagbearer also thanked his supporters for their unwavering dedication throughout the campaign.
He urged them to remain steadfast in their belief in the party’s ideals and to continue working towards a stronger and more united Ghana.
“So, even though the Electoral Commission had not yet pronounced [the winner], in fact, some of my people in my team were 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.”
“You know, so if you wait, you build up more tension and violence could come because people would think we are trying to rig the election because that is the message that was coming, that we were trying to rig the election.”
“But nobody has ever conceded an election without the EC coming out to pronounce, and I said there is a first time for everything,” he disclosed.
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