Technical Advisor to the Vice President and Member of Parliament-elect for Walewale, Dr. Tiah Kabiru Mahama, has alleged that no less than two million New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters failed to vote in the recent election.

Speaking on JoyNews AM Show December 17, Dr. Mahama explained that the NPP’s failure to mobilise its supporters was one of the key reasons for their loss. “In reality,” he said, “it was the NPP that handed the mandate to the NDC (National Democratic Congress) because many of our own people chose not to vote due to dissatisfaction and frustration”, he said.

Kabiru Mahama described how most of these disappointed voters didn’t see the NDC as a real alternative. “They had their problems with the NPP, but they didn’t believe the NDC was the answer,” he noted. As a result, these supporters stayed home on election day instead of casting their ballots.

He pointed out that many voters felt disconnected from both parties, which led to widespread voter apathy.

The two million votes lost by the NPP, Dr. Mahama stressed, was a critical factor in the final result. Despite the NPP’s attempts to engage its base, including launching the “Go TV” (Get Out the Vote) campaign, it became clear that the absence of these voters sealed the party's fate. “We were very clear in our minds that if we were to lose, it would be because of voter apathy,” he remarked.

Kabiru Mahama further explained that although the NPP had strategies in place to increase voter turnout, the efforts were insufficient. The party’s message failed to reach enough of its supporters, and many of them didn’t find either the NPP or the NDC appealing enough to vote for.

“Our people didn’t feel inspired to vote,” he added. This disengagement among the NPP’s base was a major contributor to the loss of nearly two million votes, which ultimately led to the party's defeat.

The NPP’s Go TV campaign was designed to counteract this problem by encouraging supporters to get out and vote.

However, despite the clear warning signs and a focused effort to address voter apathy, the party’s failure to rally enough supporters was a significant setback. The NPP’s leaders recognised early on that the election could be lost due to a low voter turnout, but the party was unable to overcome the lack of enthusiasm among its core supporters. he said.

“The more we could get our people to vote, the greater our chances of winning,” he said.