Ghana Election 2024: Vice president Dr. Bawumia concedes defeat, congratulating Mahama

Few hours after the 2024 election, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and sitting vice president, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has accepted defeat in the presidential election.

He then called his rival opponent, former president John Dramani Mahama, and congratulated him for his emphatic victory. 

Dr. Bawumia gave his concession speech during a conference on Sunday, December 8, 2024, acknowledging the election results and thanking Ghanaian citizens for their support of his government and appearance in the election. 

He stated in the press address that the NPP internal collation engine room data shows that Mahama has won the election with no doubt. "Let me say that the data from our own internal collation of the election results indicate that former President John Dramani Mahama has won the presidential election decisively." Vice Prez Bawumia said. 

He also acknowledged that the opposition party NDC has won the parliamentary election by a large margin. "The NDC has also won the parliamentary election. Even though we await the final collation of a number of seats, I believe ultimately these will not change the outcome."

Indeed, from the vice president's words, he has conceded the defeat before the official results in order to ease tension in the country.

Former president John Dramani Mahama, on the other hand, has confirmed the congratulatory call from Bawumia on his social media X page (formerly Twitter). He wrote, "I have, this morning, received a congratulatory call from my brother, Dr. @MBawumia, following my emphatic victory in Saturday's election. Thank you, Ghana." 

The Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) has currently not released any figures and results to Ghanaians on who is leading the presidential election, yet provisional figures from constituencies across the country show NDC Mahama leading significantly in the presidential race, with many NDC parliamentary candidates also securing victories. 

The commission is expected to officially confirm the results in the coming hours. Nevertheless, the country is peaceful as NDC candidates jubilate over provisional results.