Did Bawumia achieve 38% of Ghana’s December elections?

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Claim: Several accounts on social media keep posting claims that the former Vice President of Ghana and flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party in the ended Dec. 7 elections, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, attained 38 per cent after the EC declared the results.

Verdict: False! Dr Mahamudu Bawumia did not achieve 38% in the 2024 December 7 elections, as claimed on social media. The official Electoral Commission results show he garnered 41.75% of the votes.

Full Text 

Ghana’s 2024 December 7 elections were expected to be tough, but they ended quickly, like Achilles’ strike in his first battle in the popular 2004 Troy movie.

New Patriotic Party candidate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia conceded defeat in the early morning of December 8, 2024, just a day after the election. His statement caused wild jubilation among supporters of the NDC. Dr Bawumia congratulated John Dramani Mahama, adding that the NPP had collated the results hours after voting and already knew the winner; hence, there was no need to delay throwing in the towel.

This concession came when the EC had not announced its official results, and there had been bouts of court wrangling in some outstanding constituencies. 

However, some social media posts suggest that Bawumia got 38%—sometimes cited as 38.2%. 

Issues about election results are historical data that cannot be compromised.

To address this conflicting data on social media, DUBAWA compiled tweets spreading the alleged percentage a month after the elections on X and proceeded to fact-check them.

These posts reflect a widespread narrative, but how accurate are these claims?

Verification

The Legal and Final Results Gazetted by the EC

On January 10, 2025, the Electoral Commission of Ghana released the gazetted results for the 2024 Presidential Elections, confirming outcomes from 275 out of 276 constituencies. Below is a summary of the official results:

Official results declared by EC on 2024 Dec. 7 elections in Ghana 

Keynotes made by DUBAWA:

• The National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, John Dramani Mahama, won decisively with 56.42% of the valid votes cast.
• The New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate, Mahamudu Bawumia, garnered 41.75% of the votes, not the alleged 38% circulating online.
• The results from one constituency remain outstanding but are not expected to significantly alter the outcome.
• Other political parties inclusively garnered approximately 1.83% of the total outcome.

Conclusion

Based on the official results, it is inaccurate to claim that Dr Mahamudu Bawumia obtained 38 per cent of the votes in the 2024 elections. The Electoral Commission’s gazetted data clearly shows he achieved 41.75%, significantly higher than the rumoured percentage.