Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Oforikrom Constituency, Dr Emmanuel Marfo
A former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Oforikrom Constituency, Dr Emmanuel Marfo, has suggested that his party may have suffered a much larger margin of defeat in the 2024 general election if not for the significant voter apathy.
According to the former MP, who is also a researcher, an investigation into voter apathy in the 2024 Election showed that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would have acquired about 50% of votes from apathy voters, compared to a projected 40% for the NPP.
“The over 6 million people who didn’t vote were the ones we studied to generate findings through scientific data. The finding is that, of those who didn’t vote — apathy voters — about 70% had voted before. Of that number, a majority, 53%, historically voted for the NPP, against about 36% for the NDC,” he told Kumasi-based Nhyira FM in an interview.
With data showing that a majority of apathy voters had previously supported the NPP, some analysts and party figures asserted that the NPP would have won the 2024 Election if these voters had turned up on December 7.
However, Dr Marfo’s research suggests otherwise: “Some people thought that if those who didn’t vote had voted, the NPP would have won. But our inquiries show that’s not true. The data indicated that about 50% of apathy voters would have voted for the NDC, while about 40% would have voted for the NPP. Projections show the NDC would have still won, though with a smaller margin.”
In Ghana’s December 2024 Election, the NDC’s John Mahama won the presidency with 56.42%, against the NPP’s Mahamudu Bawumia’s 41.75%, with the NDC securing 183 parliamentary seats to the NPP’s 88.
Voter turnout fell to 60.9% from 79% in 2020, amid economic woes like 54% inflation and a $55 billion debt.
The NPP blamed their defeat on voter apathy, claiming low turnouts among supporters, but critics argued widespread discontent with corruption and economic mismanagement drove voters to reject the NPP, especially in swing regions and the Ashanti stronghold.
GA/AE
