A member of the New Patriotic Party’s legal directorate, Lawyer Ishaq Ibrahim, says the party’s defeat in the 2024 general elections was the result of poor collective strategy and messaging, not a lack of competence on the part of its flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
Speaking on Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV, the UPSA lecturer admitted that the NPP failed to do the necessary work to properly market Dr Bawumia to voters, despite his credentials and experience.
According to him, the party did not lose power because of Dr Bawumia’s performance or capacity, but because of internal shortcomings, campaign missteps and errors made while in government.
“We lost the 2024 elections not because of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia,” he said. “We lost because of our collective failure to market him very well, the mistakes we made while in government, and how we framed our campaign.”
Lawyer Ishaq described Dr Bawumia as competent by all standards and urged party delegates to rally behind him ahead of the 2028 elections, which he said represents the NPP’s best chance of returning to power.
He argued that the party placed an unfair burden on its candidate by campaigning on the slogan “breaking the eight,” noting that no political party in Ghana’s Fourth Republic has successfully won three consecutive terms.
“We were asking him to achieve something historic that no one has done before,” he said. “To then conclude that because that standard was not met, he is not worth trying again is unfair.”
Lawyer Ishaq also took aim at the current John Mahama-led administration, claiming that many Ghanaians were already dissatisfied with its performance, particularly over rising tariffs and the cost of living.
He insisted that voters often value consistency, even when leadership falls short, pointing to President Mahama’s political comeback after earlier electoral defeats.
“Ghanaians believe in consistency,” he said. “That is why, despite earlier rejections, Mahama has won again.”
He appealed to NPP members and delegates to remain focused, avoid internal distractions, and learn from past mistakes as the party prepares for the next election cycle.
