Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the former majority leader, has resisted claims that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is the only person to blame for the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) crushing defeat in the general elections of 2024.
Although he concedes that the former vice president had a lot of duties, he contends that a series of mistakes led to the loss, highlighting the fact that the president is ultimately in charge of executive authority.
In an interview with Channel One TV on Monday, October 6, 2025, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu underlined that although Dr. Bawumia was the party’s flagbearer, a number of issues outside of his personal control affected the election’s outcome.
“Even though the Vice President and the President don’t share responsibility, the presidency encapsulates the two, so you cannot extricate yourself, especially when you sit in cabinet meetings,” he said.
He emphasised the value of unity as the NPP attempts to restore its reputation and re-establish a connection with Ghanaian voters, and he asked its members and supporters to focus on constructive reflection rather than finger-pointing.
According to Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the NPP’s electoral difficulties were caused by internal conflicts, public discontent with the state of the economy, and campaign errors that were not the fault of a single person.
As head of the Economic Management Team (EMT), Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu acknowledged that Bawumia must take some criticism, particularly over economic policies and decisions.
The EMT’s recommendations, he emphasised, were advisory and not usually legally binding. For the most part, the President had the final say on decisions.
“That is a reality. But nobody should forget that executive authority is vested in one person. That is not to extricate Dr Bawumia from all blame. The Economic Management Team he headed—their role was only advisory,” he stated.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu emphasised that the President could not be forced to follow the EMT’s recommendations.
“Do they force their observations on the President? I’m saying that in the situation, you can’t whitewash Dr Bawumia and extricate him from any of the things that people considered not good—the policies and programmes people think were not very good. You cannot extricate him completely?” he emphasised.
In order to prepare the NPP for a more robust resurgence in upcoming elections, he urged the party’s members to concentrate on reform, reconciliation, and strategic reorganisation.
Following the defeat, some NPP members have criticised Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who guided the party into the 2024 elections.
Senior leaders like Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, however, have persisted in defending him, contending that the blame ought to be divided more fairly among the party’s campaign apparatus and leadership.
Source: newsthemegh.com