False! Akuffo Addo did not receive more votes than Dr Bawumia as NPP candidate
A viral infographic of Miracles Aboagye, former Director of communications for presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia (former vice president of Ghana), has been shared by Ghone and other online users. According to the flyer, Dennis Miracles claims that Dr Muhammadu Bawumia as a first-time NPP candidate, mobilised more votes than any other first-time candidate of the NPP except former President Nana Akuffo Addo.
Factcenta has verified this claim and presents the facts below.
Claim: Nana Akuffo-Addo mobilised more votes as an NPP first-time candidate
Verdict: False
Explanation
In determining whether or not Dr Bawumia mobilised more votes as an NPP first-time candidate than all other first-time candidates except President Nana Akuffo Addo, we simply relied on official election results obtained by all NPP candidates since 1992. The table below presents the number of votes each first-time NPP candidate obtained since Ghana adopted the 1992 constitution.
| Year | Candidate (NPP) | Result | Votes | Vote share | Notes |
| 1992 | Albert Adu Boahen | Lost to Jerry Rawlings (NDC) | 1,204,764 | 30.29% | Turnout 50.16%. (See) |
| 1996 | John Agyekum Kufuor | Lost to Jerry Rawlings (NDC) | 2,834,878 | 39.67% | Turnout 78.31%. (See) |
| 2008 | Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo | Lost runoff to John Atta Mills (NDC) | 4,480,446 (runoff) | 49.77% (runoff) | First round 49.13%; runoff 49.77% (Mills 50.23%). |
| 2024 | Mahamudu Bawumia | Lost to John Mahama (NDC) | 4,657,304 | 41–42% | EC-certified: Mahama ≈56.5–57%, Bawumia ≈41–42%. (See AP News, Reuters) |
A side-by-side comparison of election metrics for the NPP presidential candidates in 2008 and 2024 suggests that the number of registered voters in both years (2008 and 2024) and the number of voters who turned out to vote can affect the final votes obtained by both candidates. The table below shows this dynamic.
| Year | Registered Voters | Voter Turnout (%) | Total Valid Votes Cast | NPP Candidate Votes | NPP Vote Share (%) |
| 2008 (Runoff) | ≈12.47 million | ≈72.9% | ≈9.00 million | 4,480,446 | 49.77 |
| 2024 (General) | ≈18.77 million | ≈60.9% | ≈11.19 million | 4,657,304 | 41.61 |
Other possible considerations
In the table below, we present other factors that likely explain why Bawumia had more votes in the 2024 elections, but had lower in percentage terms, than Nana Akuffo Addo.
| Factor | Explanation: Nana Addo (2008) vs. Bawumia (2024) |
| Voter turnout size | In 2008, total valid votes were much fewer than in 2024, so Nana Addo’s ~4.48M votes represented nearly half of all votes. |
| Population and voter register growth | In 2024, the register and turnout were larger, so Bawumia’s 4.65M was a smaller share of the much bigger total. |
| Number of strong competitors | In both years there were essentially two strong candidates, but any extra viable contenders or higher turnout for the opponent changes the percentages. In 2008, only 8 candidates contested in the general elections but in 2024, 13 candidates contested. |
| Opponent’s performance | Mahama in 2024 had a bigger margin and total vote count than Mills in 2008, pushing Bawumia’s share (percentage) down. |
| First-round vs. runoff dynamics | Nana Addo’s 2008 figure cited is from the runoff, where turnout was slightly lower than in the first round. |
The analysis of election results obtained by Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Akuffo-Addo does not support the argument of Miracles Aboagye that Former President Nana Akuffo Addo obtained or mobilised more votes than Dr Bawumia as a first time NPP candidate. The claim is therefore FALSE.
