Bawumia Not Solely to Blame for NPP’s 2024 Election Defeat – Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu

Former Majority Leader and long-serving Member of Parliament for Suame, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has dismissed suggestions that former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia should bear sole responsibility for the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) defeat in the 2024 general elections.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Point of View with Bernard Avle on Monday, October 6, 2025, Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu described such claims as “simplistic and unfair,” arguing that the failure of the government in certain areas was a collective one that involved the entire leadership of the NPP administration, not just Dr. Bawumia.

“Even though the Vice President and the President don’t share the same constitutional responsibility, the presidency encapsulates both. So, you cannot extricate the Vice President completely, especially when he sits in cabinet meetings and participates in key government decisions,” he explained.

The veteran legislator, who served as Majority Leader for over a decade, clarified that while Dr. Bawumia played a central role as head of the Economic Management Team (EMT), that team only functioned in an advisory capacity to the President and did not have direct executive authority.

“That is a reality. But nobody should forget that executive authority is vested in one person — the President. This is not to absolve Dr. Bawumia of every responsibility, but the Economic Management Team he headed had no power to implement its decisions. It could only advise,” he stated.

Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu further noted that many of the government’s economic policies — some of which were heavily criticised leading up to the 2024 polls — were ultimately approved and executed at the presidential level. According to him, the EMT could not “force its observations or recommendations on the President,” making it misleading to assign full blame to its chairman.

He, however, conceded that the Vice President could not be entirely absolved of responsibility. “You can’t whitewash Dr. Bawumia and remove him completely from the policies and programmes that people think were not good enough. He was part of the leadership team, and by that, he shares in the collective responsibility,” he added.

Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu’s remarks come amid renewed discussions within the NPP following its electoral defeat, as factions within the party engage in blame-shifting over what led to the loss of power after eight years in office. Some party members have argued that Dr. Bawumia’s leadership of the EMT and his economic messaging during the campaign made him a target for public dissatisfaction, while others insist the government’s broader communication and governance lapses were to blame.

Political analysts believe Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu’s comments reflect an attempt to promote unity and temper internal tensions within the NPP, as the party begins its rebuilding process ahead of the 2028 elections.

In recent weeks, several NPP figures — including former ministers, regional executives, and grassroots organisers — have called for an honest post-election assessment, urging the leadership to focus on restructuring rather than apportioning blame.

As discussions continue, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu’s intervention adds an experienced voice to the debate, reminding party faithful that collective leadership — not individual blame — should guide the NPP’s path forward.