Stop the Excuses: NPP Was Voted Out for Arrogance, Corruption, Failed Promises, and Economic Hardship

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) should stop insulting the intelligence of Ghanaians with flimsy excuses for their defeat. The reasons for their rejection are not hidden. Ghanaians voted them out because the government became the very opposite of what it promised. Many government appointees grew arrogantly insensitive, corrupt, and indifferent to the suffering of ordinary people. No amount of political spin can change that reality.

It is laughable to hear some within the NPP push the blame solely on Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, as though he alone sank the ship. The truth is simple: even if a different candidate had contested against John Mahama, the NPP would still have lost. By the time Ghanaians went to the polls, they were fed up. They wanted total change because the NPP had failed them beyond redemption.

If party voices now claim Dr. Bawumia did not secure enough votes from the North and Muslim communities, why are they not asking themselves what went wrong in their so-called “World Bank”—the Ashanti Region? For the first time in the Fourth Republic, the NDC made historic gains in Ashanti. Is Dr. Bawumia from Kumasi? No. The verdict against the NPP was nationwide. Every region, every community, every household had a reason to vote them out.

And who can forget Nana Akufo-Addo’s infamous galamsey promise? He swore to put his presidency on the line, even vowing to resign if he failed to stop the menace. Yet under his leadership, galamsey flourished like never before. Rivers turned brown, forests disappeared, and worse still, some of his own party men were implicated in the galamsey report. Instead of resigning, the President clung to power while the nation’s environment was destroyed. That hypocrisy alone caused many Ghanaians to lose faith. Indeed, a fish begins to rot from the head.

But that was not all. The NPP’s flagship promises, which once inspired hope, became symbols of deceit. One District, One Factory? Where are the factories? One Village, One Dam? Communities saw shallow dugouts that dried up in the dry season. These failures were not only disappointing but also insulting to those who believed in the promises. Thus, playing the tribal card is neither here nor there.

To make matters worse, recruitment into public service under the NPP reportedly became a cash-and-carry business. Jobs in the police, immigration, army, and other agencies were allegedly sold to the highest bidder. Qualified but poor young men and women were sidelined while party-connected applicants bought their way through. In a country already grappling with massive youth unemployment, this injustice was unforgivable. Many simply waited for election day, armed with their voter ID cards, to punish a government that had shown them nothing but insensitivity.

When Dr. Bawumia was attacking his northern brother, JM, those who now accuse him of doing little to use his northern roots to win votes were cheering him on. Yet as their own voodoo economic policies collapsed and failed the people, they turned around to blame the same man they pushed to do the dirty work.

The NPP must be reminded that they were not voted out because of Bawumia’s campaign style, regional voting patterns, or because Ghanaians misunderstood them. They were voted out because of corruption, arrogance, galamsey, economic hardship, failed promises, and the shameless sale of jobs.

When in opposition, Dr. Bawumia was hailed as an economic messiah for his lectures and biting critiques. Today, the same people who once sang his praises call him empty. When he fired a barrage of questions at the late Vice President, they hailed him; but now, a different tune is being sung just to discredit him for political expediency. That is nothing but hypocrisy.

The truth is clear. No better reasons exist. Until the NPP accepts this reality, they will continue to live in denial while Ghanaians move on.

Ghanaians are watching!
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