The Director of Research and Innovation at Kumasi Technical University, Prof. Smart Sarpong, has dismissed claims that Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s victory in the NPP presidential primaries fell below expectations, describing such views as a misreading of the figures.

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Prof. Sarpong said an analysis of the results shows that Dr Bawumia’s performance was stronger than his showing in the 2023 contest.

He noted that the former Vice President won in constituencies he had never previously secured and recorded gains across several areas.

According to Prof. Sarpong, Dr Bawumia won in 29 constituencies in the Greater Accra Region, including some that were previously held by Kennedy Agyapong.

He explained that while Dr Bawumia won 212 constituencies with 62 per cent of the vote in the previous contest, he has now secured victory in 232 constituencies with 56.48 per cent of the vote, indicating broader geographical support.

Prof. Sarpong added that Dr Bawumia successfully defended all 14 regions he won in the last election, despite a highly competitive race.

He described the performance as impressive, saying the former Vice President delivered an outstanding result under intense political pressure.

“Anyone who understands numbers knows that this performance is significantly better than his 2023 results. He won in several constituencies where he had never triumphed before and made gains in all other areas.

He secured victory in 29 constituencies in Greater Accra, some of which were previously won by Ken Agyapong.

His impact has been substantial. While last time he won 212 constituencies with 62% of the vote, this time he achieved 56.48% with 232 constituencies.

Therefore, it cannot be said that Bawumia’s win falls below expectations. He successfully maintained control over the 14 regions he won last time and was well-received in the constituencies. He has performed admirably, and amidst the challenges, he has done an outstanding job,” he said.