The ruling New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has conceded defeat after losing heavily to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate and former president, John Mahama, in Saturday’s elections.
The polls, which recorded an average turnout, saw Mr. Mahama securing an overwhelming victory in constituencies labelled as NDC strongholds while also making significant inroads in areas traditionally dominated by the NPP.
Although the Electoral Commission is yet to officially declare the final results, collated figures from both leading parties covering over 38,000 out of 40,000 polling stations (95% coverage) place Mr. Mahama ahead with approximately 57% of the vote.
On Sunday morning, Dr. Bawumia held a press briefing where he announced that he had called Mr. Mahama to congratulate him on his victory and officially conceded defeat.
“I said during the signing of the peace pact that I was sure of two things: Ghana will win, and peace will reign,” Dr. Bawumia stated.
“The people of Ghana have spoken. The people have voted for change at this time, and we respect that decision with all humility.”
“We put our best foot forward in the contest, explaining our policies and programs. However, it is sometimes the case that the voter would have other ideas,” he added, flanked by his wife and NPP executives.
Even before Dr. Bawumia’s concession, jubilant NDC supporters had taken to the streets and social media to celebrate, as media outlets began projecting Mr. Mahama’s victory from the close of polls at 5 p.m. on Saturday through the night.
Meanwhile, the NDC is likely to secure an overwhelming majority in the next parliament, as a significant number of NPP members have lost their seats.
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