Religion and ethnicity did not play any role in the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) fortunes in the December 2024 elections, asserts Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, a former Leader of the Majority caucus in Parliament.
The former MP says data gathered by the party after the election did not identify religion or ethnicity as factors for the NPP’s abysmal performance in the polls.
His comments were in response to assertions by a section of the public, particularly some party members, that the former Vice President’s religious and ethnic backgrounds contributed to the party’s defeat.
The former Minister of Parliamentary Affairs under the Akufo-Addo administration, in an interview on Channel One TV on Monday, October 6, 2025, indicated that the post-election reports from both Kumasi and Prof. Oquaye did not cite any of these factors as contributing to the party’s defeat.
“The enquiry we did in the Ashanti region did not produce that; it is not one of the factors,” he explained. “In fact, those two questions, ethnicity and religion, were asked of the people everywhere in the Ashanti region, and the Oquaye committee also asked similar questions — the group of professors asked. The conclusions don’t support this at all. And yet, people are trying to inject that into that.”
Despite admitting that the party needs to reflect on its defeat and its causes, he said the attempts to attribute the outcome to Dr. Bawumia’s religious or ethnic background were divisive and unfounded.
He added that the 2024 flag bearer cannot solely be blamed for causing the party’s defeat in the last poll.
The former Suame MP, however, acknowledged that as a key member of the administration, Bawumia could not be entirely absolved of the blame, despite the ultimate executive authority lying with the President.
“Even though the Vice President and the President don’t share responsibility, the presidency encapsulates the two, so you cannot extricate yourself, especially when you sit in cabinet meetings,” he said.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu added that Bawumia’s role as head of the Economic Management Team (EMT) made him a central figure in the economic challenges that contributed to the defeat, although his function was largely advisory.
“That is a reality,” he admitted. “But nobody should forget that executive authority is vested in one person. That is not to extricate Dr. Bawumia from every blame. The Economic Management Team he headed, their role was only advisory.”
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu’s comments add nuance to the ongoing debate within the NPP about the causes of its 2024 electoral loss — particularly over how much weight should be given to internal governance issues versus external economic pressures.
You can’t solely blame Bawumia for NPP’s 2024 election defeat – Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
