Why Dr. Farouk Aliu Mahama remains NPP’s best bet to reclaim Yendi seat in 2028

In politics, numbers do not lie. And the numbers from Yendi in the 2020 and 2024 elections tell a very clear story.

From the numbers, it's clear Dr. Farouk Aliu Mahama did not lose Yendi in 2024 because the people rejected him; he lost because the NPP was divided, and because a national wave of apathy hit the party everywhere.

If the NPP wants to win back Yendi in 2028 and maximise votes for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, there is only one politically wise decision: rally behind Farouk Aliu Mahama.

1. 2024 was not a rejection; it was a split

Let us look at the facts. In the 2020 Yendi parliamentary election, Farouk Aliu Mahama, contesting for the first time, polled 40,624 to win by a whopping 62.14 per cent. His main opponent, the NDC's Alhassan Abdul Fatawu, polled 24,755, representing 37.86 per cent.

From the data, Farouk won by a massive 15,869 votes - one of the biggest winning margins in the entire Northern Region by the NPP.

Then in the 2024 Yendi Parliamentary election, Alhassan Abdul Fatawu polled 30,770 to win the seat against Farouk Aliu Mahama, who polled 30,441 and NPP-affiliated Independent Candidate, Hussein Abdul-Karim, who polled 4,324.

From the data above, Farouk lost narrowly by just 329 votes. That is the whole story. Farouk did not collapse. He was split.

The independent candidate, who came from within the NPP family after the bitter and disputed primaries, took 4,324 votes - votes that in 2020 would have gone to the NPP. If the NPP had gone into 2024 united, Farouk would have, despite the widespread national apathy against the NPP, won with over 34,000 votes against the NDC's 30,770.

Even in division, even in crisis, even when his own party members campaigned against him, Farouk still almost won. That is not weakness, but a proof that he is firm on the ground.

In many NPP strongholds across the country, many MPs lost by 5,000, 10,000, 15,000 votes in 2024. But Farouk, battling serious internal division, lost by 329. In a year of disaster for the NPP, he held the line.

2. Apathy affected everyone, not just Farouk

The second factor was widespread national apathy that hit the NPP in 2024 also hit Yendi too.

The NPP's parliamentary votes in Yendi dropped from 40,624 in 2020 to 30,441 in 2024, just as in all constituencies across the country including the party's stronghold. The NPP's presidential votes also dropped sharply, despite Dr. Bawumia winning the constituency.

There are two lessons from this: First, the drop was not personal to Farouk, nor was it to Dr. Bawumia. It was a party-wide problem across the country due to reluctance by party members to go out and vote, as the NPP's own Mike Oquaye report found. When apathy hits, every candidate suffers and Farouk was not an exception.

Second, and most important, is that even in that difficult year, the NDC candidate who won Yendi did not win a significant share of the votes that dropped from Farouk's 2020 numbers; neither did President John Mahama.

The NDC moved from 24,755 in 2020 to 30,770 in 2024 - an increase of about 6,000 votes. Farouk lost about 10,000 votes from his 2020 total. Where did the rest go? They did not go to the NDC. They went to apathy and to the independent candidate.

That means the people of Yendi did not switch to the NDC. They stayed home, or they voted for the independent out of internal NPP anger. Those voters are recoverable. They are NPP voters, and the man who can bring them back is undoubtedly Farouk.

Note this carefully: In 2024, while Farouk narrowly lost the parliamentary race, Dr. Bawumia still won the presidential race in Yendi with 32,239 against Mahama's 31,664.

How did Bawumia win Yendi when the NPP parliamentary candidate lost? Because Farouk's structures, his campaign, and his groundwork kept the NPP competitive in Yendi even in a divided house. He was able to complement Bawumia's campaign through the NPP's great record of development in the area.

If Farouk is on the ballot as a united NPP candidate in 2028, he will not only win back the seat; he will maximise votes for Dr. Bawumia. A united Yendi means a bigger presidential margin. A divided Yendi means the party will fight itself instead of fighting the NDC.

Beyond the numbers, there is Farouk's remarkable record from the only time he has been MP. And in Yendi, the record is visible and verifiable.

In his first term as MP, Farouk Aliu Mahama delivered an impressive record of development and community support:

Roads were built and reshaped. Schools were renovated and new ones built. Farmers were supported with farm inputs and equipment. The youth received skills training and business support. Communities received water, health support, and educational assistance.

The beautification of Yendi township is a clear, visible example that everyone can see. It is not a promise on a poster; it is on the ground.

The people of Yendi are attesting to it themselves. They saw development, they felt it and they lived it.

5. He did not abandon the people after losing

Many politicians disappear after losing an election, only to resurface four years later to ask for votes again. But Farouk did the opposite.

After losing in 2024, he did not abandon Yendi. He continued to show commitment to the progress of Yendi and its people. He continued to support community projects and individuals, especially in job-seeking and education. He stayed with the people in defeat as he did in victory. That is character! That is leadership! And the people have noticed.

Today, the people of Yendi are comparing Farouk's high standard with the incumbent, who is struggling to replicate it.

The incumbent has not matched the expectations. The projects have slowed, the energy has dropped and the presence has reduced.

When the people themselves are calling for the one who once made things possible for them, a strategic party listens.

The electorate cannot forget a man who changed their community, supported their children, and stood with them. When they exchanged Farouk for someone else, they expected more but they got less. That is why the call for his return is growing louder every day.

This is the political lesson for the NPP in Yendi: Do not reinvent the wheel to deepen old cracks and open new ones.

The 2024 defeat was caused by division and the solution cannot be more division. The solution cannot be to bring a new, untested candidate who will reopen old wounds, create new factions, and start from zero.

The NPP must demonstrate unity and rally behind the young and dynamic Farouk Aliu Mahama, who has proven that he is firm on the ground even when faced with crisis.

He has the structures. He has the youth. He has the women. He has the chiefs and opinion leaders. He has the track record. He has the love of the people. Why throw that away?

Politics is about winning. And winning requires choosing the candidate who can win.

Farouk Aliu Mahama lost in 2024 by 329 votes while fighting his own party and the bigger "enemy". Imagine what he will do in 2028 with a united party behind him.

The NPP in Yendi does not need an experiment; it needs a proven winner. It needs a man who has delivered, who has stayed, and who the people themselves are asking for.

The party must repose massive confidence in the young man and unite behind him. And Yendi will return to the NPP, with Dr. Bawumia getting the votes he deserves from Yendi.

The people have spoken through their calls. Now the party must act.