Former Vice President and New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has admitted that governance lapses under the previous NPP government contributed to the party’s 2024 election defeat and appealed to the party for forgiveness.

Speaking to delegates in the Ashanti Region, Dr. Bawumia said internal research conducted after the elections revealed that both the government and the party failed in several key areas.

“After we finished the elections and conducted research, we realised that the government and our party [NPP] made many mistakes in governance.

"There were things we were supposed to do, but we did not do them. There were also things that, if we had known better, we would not have done,” he said.

He acknowledged that responsibility for those mistakes was collective, involving himself, ministers, Members of Parliament, board chairpersons, and government appointees.

“So, I am here — and we are all part of this: the Vice President, Ministers, MPs, board chairpersons, and appointees. We have made mistakes, and we ask for your forgiveness.

"We have truly learned our lessons, and by God’s will, if you elect me as flagbearer and I become president, such things will not happen again,” Dr Bawumia told the delegates.

The former vice president assured the gathering that lessons had been learned and pledged that, under his leadership, the party would not repeat past errors.

“We have really learned our lessons, so please forgive us — it will not happen again,” he emphasized.