Political risk analyst and economist, Dr. Theo Acheampong, has dismissed claims that religious bias played a decisive role in the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) defeat in the 2024 general elections.

Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, May 3, he said the NPP’s downfall had everything to do with the economy and nothing to do with Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia being a Muslim.

“The evidence on the religious argument is just complete hogwash,” he stated.

“You can slice and dice the data how you want, but you come to a very firm and simple conclusion. The NPP lost the 2024 election not because of religion, but because of the economy. It is as simple as that.”

He cited a litany of economic missteps as the real reason voters punished the party.

“From the domestic debt exchange to the E-Levy, the warning signs were there. In fact, back in 2022, I was one of the first to call for the sacking of Ken Ofori-Atta. His position had become untenable.”

Dr. Acheampong argued that if the government had focused on proper economic management post-COVID, the outcome would have been different.

“If they had listened and actually run the economy much better than many people had expected them to do, they would have ‘broken the eight.’”

He said the data from the polls showed no pattern to support claims that Dr Bawumia’s religion cost him votes.

“If you look at the data very carefully by region and by constituency, across the board, the NPP consistently dropped or lost votes in all regions, and the NDC gained in most of them.”

To further debunk the religious argument, he referenced the NDC’s own statistics.

“Even in the NDC front, they presented 215 Christians. Out of that number, 74 lost. So is it about religion or performance?”

Dr. Acheampong emphasised the disconnect between the NPP leadership and the mood of the country. “When people are hungry and inflation is over 54%, it’s not a question of whether one is Muslim or Christian. That does not put food on the table.”

He added that Dr Bawumia’s own post-election tour confirmed the deep anger within party ranks.

“There is still pain and there is still anger amongst the hierarchy and the grassroots. They are not happy with the way the party managed the state of affairs.”

The analyst warned that if the NPP wants to win future elections, it must take full responsibility for its failures.

“They may argue otherwise, but the warning signs were there. They had to make course corrections. Ghanaians were going to punish them.”

According to him, the emergence of new aspirants like Dr. Yaw Adutwum suggests a restless base looking for change.

“The fact that other people are even intimating a bid shows me that the people want change. But that change will not come through religious scapegoating. It must come from addressing the real issues.”

In conclusion, Dr. Acheampong said: “For me, they have to own up and apologise to Ghanaians. The economy is what sent the elephant back into the bush, not religion.”