Dear Hassan Mallam Zakaria, 

 Re: Dr. Bawumia’s Early Concession: A Statesman’s move that became not only a strategic miscalculation but a political disaster. 

Your concerns resonate with some supporters; especially regarding perceptions of timing and grassroots confidence. Very recently, the Member of Parliament for Weija- Gbawe, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, made similar politically motivated comments seeking to blame Dr Bawumia’s early concession for either our defeat or the violence perpetuated by some NDC hooligans. Dr Bawumia conceded and congratulated President Mahama in good time; and he was absolutely right to do so. The reason we do politics is to safeguard our country, build it, and ensure that we have rational leadership that will prioritize the prosperity of our country over politics. 

The early concession by Dr. Bawumia deserves a more nuanced evaluation backed by evidence and precedent. Both the African Union Elections Observation Mission (AUEOM) and Commonwealth Observer Group described Bawumia's early speech as "exemplary statesmanship" and credited it for helping to de‑escalate potential conflict after the 2024 polls closed.

The Diplomatic Corps in Ghana, speaking via their Dean, who is also Lebanon's Ambassador, Maher Kheir, called it a “testament to [his] love for this nation”.

Bawumia himself explained his goal was to "save Ghana from unnecessary tension," citing rising anxiety over delayed announcements.

In democracies worldwide, early concessions—based on credible internal tallies—have clear purposes: they signal confidence in institutional processes, militates against misinformation, and build public trust. For example,  US Presidential Candidates have traditionally conceded once it's clear the margin is insurmountable, preventing unrest or undermining faith in electoral bodies. A swift, dignified acceptance can prevent the kind of power vacuums that you mentioned. Observers across Africa often urge this to avoid flare-ups—especially when tensions are high.

Yes, momentum in constituencies like Ablekuma North slipped, but Dr. Bawumia’s concession didn't mean retreat; he congratulated Mahama and called on him to call the NDC to order with the famous "you've won an election, not a coup" emphasis. He acknowledged it was a tactical decision, even as his own campaign team urged caution.

In 2020, despite no candidate conceding early, both NDC and NPP challenged parliamentary results in court due to disparities between polling station results and collated data. NDC challenged 7 seats (Techiman South, Tema West, Tarkwa Nsuem, Zabzugu, Sefwi Wiawso, Essikado Ketan, and Tano South), while NPP challenged 6 (Savelugu, Jomoro, Banda, Krachi West, Pusisa, and Kintampo North). This shows that early concession would not have changed the outcome, as certified polling station results signed by Presiding Officers are binding.

Our Parliamentary Candidates in the 2024 general elections had arranged internal collation of results and thereby knew if they were winning or losing in the election. If any of our candidates had genuine data and evidence that the election was not fair, they had, with the support of the NPP, challenged the results in court, which Dr. Bawumia would have unreservedly appear in the witness box for.

The case of Ablekuma North is a more complex one. The fact that we were not able to sanction the rerun of the 3 polling stations from 7th December 2025 to 7th January 2025 when we had the authority and power to do so, revealed the inefficiency of our governance and rot in our party. This can not decisively be attributed to Dr. Bawumia.

Admittedly, violence did occur in a handful of centres, but no credible data links these directly to the concession.

In fact, conceding may have averted wider and more organized conflict, especially where misinformation and rumours can easily take firm root.

Yes, early concession carried political risk. But it was based on internal tallies showing Mahama with around 56% of the vote—the gesture was widely praised internally and internationally, aiming to defend democracy—and it largely did .

Moving forward, the NPP can reaffirm its influence by engaging constituencies more robustly, preparing strategically, and reinforcing party structures—all without undermining democratic norms.

In democratic plays, timing is everything—but not just for winning or conceding. It preserves public trust, deterring unrest, and upholding institutions . Bawumia's move wasn't naive—it was calculated on peace and principle. Of course, we have learned from it and from the NDC, too, so that our participation in future elections reflects both strength and tact.

Let me conclude by stating clearly that our 2024 humiliating defeat was self-inflicted. We had a tone deaf government, incompetent party leadership, abandoned our most basic level activists nationwide, and implemented a strategically  disastrous resource allocation.

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