Mussa Dankwah, the Executive Director of Global InfoAnalytics, has dismissed claims that apathy among New Patriotic Party (NPP) voters led to the party’s defeat in the 2024 presidential elections.
According to Dankwah, it was primarily floating voters who showed apathy, not NPP members, who actively participated in the election.
Dankwah’s comments contradict those of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the NPP’s presidential candidate, who attributed the party’s loss to internal factors.
Dr. Bawumia noted that the party’s vote tally decreased compared to the previous election, while the National Democratic Congress (NDC) maintained its support base.
However, speaking on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, Mussa Dankwah refuted the claim of NPP voter apathy, stating, Everybody [party] suffered from the apathy and those who were very apathetic were not NPP people, they were the floating voters. It was mostly the floating voters who didn’t vote. If they had come, it would have been worse than this.”
Dankwah further explained the voting patterns, pointing out that many voters who had backed Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2020 were not just NPP supporters but included floating voters and those from other parties, including the NDC.
He noted, “So the votes Nana-Addo was not just NPP votes, people should stop misleading that. The votes Nana-Addo got in 2020, include a huge chunk of NDC people, floating voters, other parties and NPP voters.”
In contrast, he observed that among those who had voted for Mahama in 2020, a substantial portion returned to him in 2024.
“Now, for those who voted for Mahama in 2020, and voted for Bawumia this time were just 3%. 95% of Mahama supporters who voted for him last time returned,” Dankwah said.
He also pointed out that among the floating voters who had supported Nana Addo in 2020, only 37% returned to vote for Bawumia, with 48% shifting their support to Mahama.
Dankwah concluded by stating that 83% of floating voters who had backed Mahama in 2020 voted for him again in 2024, further emphasising the NPP’s struggle to retain support among this key demographic.
“The floating voters who voted for Nana-Addo in 2020, only 37% went back again to vote for Bawumia. 48% left NPP candidate and went to Mahama. For those who voted for Mahama as floating voters, only 13% went to Bawumia, 83% of floating voters who voted for Mahama in 2020 went back to him again.”
