Ghana election: Mahamudu Bawumia of ruling NPP concedes defeat to John Mahama

The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has conceded defeat to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Ghana’s 2024 presidential election.

Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, who was the NPP’s presidential candidate, announced his concession during a press briefing on Sunday, 8 December, a day after the general elections. His announcement came before the Electoral Commission officially declared the election results.

Bawumia conceded defeat shortly after the NDC held a press conference claiming an early lead in the elections. He stated that his decision was based on provisional results from the NPP’s internal tally, which indicated that the NDC’s presidential candidate, John Mahama, had won both the presidential and parliamentary elections. 

Although final results from some constituencies were still being collated, Bawumia expressed confidence that the overall outcome would not change.

He also revealed that he had called John Mahama to congratulate him on his victory. 

Confirming receiving the congratulatory call, Mahama posted on X on Sunday, “I have, this morning, received a congratulatory call from my brother Dr @MBawumia, following my emphatic victory in Saturday’s election. Thank you, Ghana.”

Earlier, the NDC had declared victory over the NPP, citing provisional results collected by their agents across all 276 constituencies. According to the party, the results showed an “unprecedented, historic victory.”

NDC’s National Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi while speaking during a press conference on Sunday morning said, “We have provisional results that reflect how the people of Ghana voted. From the results we’ve collated so far, it is clear that Ghanaians have rejected eight years of corruption and state capture.”

While the NDC remains confident about their victory, only Ghana’s Electoral Commission has the constitutional mandate to officially declare the final results of the 2024 elections.