Gabby Otchere-Darko, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Africa Prosperity Network (APN) and a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has described the party’s performance in the 2024 general election as “quite shocking,” attributing the outcome to broader global political trends rather than purely domestic factors.
According to him, the NPP’s loss should be seen within the context of a shifting global political climate that has produced unexpected electoral outcomes in several democracies in recent years.
In the 2024 polls, the NPP, led by then Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, secured 41.06 per cent of the total valid votes, while the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, won with 57.95 per cent, returning the NDC to power.
Speaking in an interview on Channel One TV’s The Upside Down Show, Mr Otchere-Darko highlighted similar electoral surprises globally.
“You know what I’ve noticed over the last few years? There have been some shocking results across the world,” he said.
He cited examples from major democracies to illustrate his point.
“In the USA, I think Trump actually got fewer votes than he did in 2020, but the margin of victory was wider. In the UK, the Labour Party didn’t perform well in terms of the popular vote, but the seats they won were historic,” he noted.
He also referenced political developments in Southern Africa.
“In South Africa, for the first time, the ANC lost its majority. We saw similar trends in Botswana and other countries across the continent,” he added.
Describing the phenomenon, Gabby Otchere-Darko invoked a German expression to capture the prevailing global mood.
“I think it was really, as the Germans would call it, the zeitgeist – the time and the spirit of the moment,” he said.
He concluded that when Ghana’s 2024 election results are viewed within this wider global context, the outcome becomes easier to understand, despite the surprise it caused within the NPP.
“So I think if you look at it from that perspective and see what happened elsewhere, you can understand it. But of course, the results were quite shocking,” he stated.
