Political commentator and Founding President of the UP Tradition Institute, Dr. Razak Kojo Opoku, has strongly dismissed claims by Dr. Prince Hamid Armah of the “Rich Ideas Camp” that Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is the first New Patriotic Party (NPP) Presidential Candidate to secure more than two regions in his first electoral attempt.

According to Dr. Opoku, historical electoral data shows that this assertion is “never true” and does not withstand scrutiny.

Akufo-Addo’s 2008 Performance
Dr. Opoku pointed out that in the 2008 elections, then-Presidential Candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo won four out of ten regions in the first round — Ashanti, Eastern, Brong-Ahafo, and Western — with 49.13%.

In the decisive second round, he maintained two regions, Ashanti and Eastern, with an improved vote share of 49.77%, representing a 0.64% increase.

Although Akufo-Addo narrowly lost the 2008 election by just 40,586 votes (0.46%), the NPP secured 107 parliamentary seats against the NDC’s 116, a close gap of nine seats.

Bawumia’s 2024 Results
In contrast, Dr. Opoku argued, Dr. Bawumia’s 2024 debut fell short of this record.

The Vice-President won three out of sixteen regions (Ashanti, Eastern, and North East) in the first round with 41.75% (based on 275 declared constituencies).

However, the final certified results placed him at 38.2% after all 276 constituencies were declared.

Crucially, he stressed that when comparing the 2024 regional structure (16 regions) to the 10 regions of 2008, Bawumia’s win in North East — which was part of the Northern Region in 2008 — cannot be counted as a distinct regional breakthrough. This, he said, means that Bawumia effectively won only two traditional NPP strongholds, Ashanti and Eastern.

Moreover, Dr. Opoku highlighted that Dr. Bawumia’s performance in Ashanti was weaker than Akufo-Addo’s in 2008.

While Akufo-Addo polled 72.40% and 74.94% in the first and second rounds, respectively in Ashanti, Dr. Bawumia managed only 65.36% in 2024.

Election Outcome and Parliamentary Results
Dr. Bawumia ultimately lost to former President John Dramani Mahama by a margin of over 1.7 million votes, representing a 14.67% gap.

The NPP also suffered a heavy parliamentary defeat, securing just 88 seats compared to the NDC’s 183, a deficit of 95 seats.

By comparison, Akufo-Addo’s 2008 loss came with a razor-thin margin of 0.46% and a near balance in parliamentary seats.

Historical Comparisons
Dr. Opoku also drew parallels with earlier elections:

In 1992, Prof. Adu Boahen, running against a military leader who had governed for 11 years, won one region and 30.29%.

In 1996, John Kufuor, contesting against a sitting president of 15 years, won only the Ashanti Region yet secured 39.67%.

By contrast, he argued, Dr. Bawumia, running as a sitting Vice-President after eight years in power, managed only 38.2% with two stronghold regions.

Conclusion
Dr. Opoku concluded that discussions around electoral data do not favour Dr. Bawumia’s camp.

“It would be advisable for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and his people to stop discussing electoral data because no matter how they play with the numbers, it will still not look good for them,” he said.