UP Tradition Institute slams Bawumia camp over ‘false’ electoral record claims

President of the UP Tradition Institute, Razak Kojo Opoku, is dismissing claims that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia made history as the first NPP presidential candidate to secure more than two regions.

In a strongly worded statement, Mr. Opoku accused Dr. Prince Hamid Armah, a member of Dr. Bawumia’s camp and his cohort, of what he called “lies” to distort electoral history. He insisted that such claims were “a complete falsehood.”

“It is NEVER TRUE that Dr. Bawumia is the first NPP candidate, on his first attempt, to win more than two regions,” Opoku declared.

Mr. Opoku backed his argument with historical election data, pointing to Nana Akufo-Addo’s performance in 2008.

“In 2008, Akufo-Addo won four regions in the first round and two in the second round. He even improved his percentage between rounds,” he explained.

He contrasted this with Dr. Bawumia’s 2024 performance, where the NPP candidate won three regions out of 16, Ashanti, Eastern, and North East, with 41.75% of votes before the final tally placed him at 38.2%.

“If we compare the old 10-region structure of 2008, it means Bawumia effectively won only Ashanti and Eastern, the party’s traditional strongholds,” Opoku stressed.

The statement further highlighted Bawumia’s weaker showing in the NPP base compared to Akufo-Addo.

“Akufo-Addo polled over 72% in Ashanti in 2008, but Bawumia managed only 65.36% in 2024. That is not growth, that is decline,” Opoku noted.

He emphasized the magnitude of Bawumia’s 2024 loss, describing it as “abysmal.” “Bawumia lost by over 1.7 million votes, with a 14.67% gap. Akufo-Addo lost in 2008 by just 0.46%,” he argued.

Mr. Opoku also drew parallels with earlier elections. “Adu Boahen in 1992 and Kufuor in 1996, despite facing incumbents who had ruled for over a decade, performed better than Bawumia, who was Vice-President for eight years,” he said.

He advised the NPP’s 2024 flagbearer and his supporters to refrain from spinning electoral numbers.

“No matter how they play with the data, it will NOT look good for them,” he warned.

The rebuttal is the latest firefight in a feisty presidential primary ahead of the contest in January 2026.