The recent defeat of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections has left many within the party reeling and searching for answers. General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong has attributed the loss to spiritual reasons, pointing to a significant decrease in voter turnout in the NPP’s traditional strongholds as a key factor.
In an interview with Ashh FM, Mr. Kodua expressed his concern over the lack of spiritual support that the party had previously relied on. He called on religious leaders within the party to resume their intercessory roles, emphasizing the spiritual nature of the election results. Mr. Kodua stated, “I want to beg the pastors who intercede spiritually, because the recent election was not decided by flesh and blood. Spiritually, things happened—you may agree or disagree, but spiritually, we lost the election.”
The General Secretary highlighted the fact that some pastors and older community members who traditionally pray for the party had withdrawn their support due to their dissatisfaction with the party. This lack of spiritual backing, combined with the unexpected low voter turnout in NPP strongholds, was a blow to the party’s electoral prospects.
The official results of the election revealed a resounding victory for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, John Dramani Mahama, who was declared President-elect with 56.55% of the vote. In contrast, Dr. Bawumia of the NPP secured only 41.61% of the vote, trailing by a significant margin of 1,671,093 votes.
The NPP also suffered a major setback in the parliamentary elections, winning only 88 seats compared to the NDC’s 183, with four independent candidates also securing seats. This defeat has prompted soul-searching within the NPP ranks, as they grapple with how to regroup and strategize for future elections.
The party’s leadership is now faced with the challenge of rebuilding support and engagement within their communities, as well as addressing the spiritual concerns that have been raised. The NPP will need to reassess their electoral strategies and strengthen their grassroots connections in order to bounce back from this defeat and regain the trust of their supporters.
