Government and NPP disassociate themselves from NIB polls predicting NAPO as Bawumia's running mate

Palgrave Boakye Danquah, the Government Spokesperson on Security and Governance, has clarified that neither the government nor the New Patriotic Party (NPP) authorized the National Bureau of Investigations (NIB) to conduct polls suggesting Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh as the running mate for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in the 2024 general elections.

Mr. Boakye Danquah explained that while the NIB is tasked with intelligence gathering for policy formation and public opinion assessment, the specific polls in question were not sanctioned by the government or the NPP.

"The NIB is empowered to collect intelligence to inform policy and understand public sentiment, including views on political entities like the National Democratic Congress (NDC), NPP, and the Convention People's Party," he stated.

He added that intelligence gathering by the NIB, particularly in an election year, is routine and within their mandate.

Boakye Danquah provided this clarification during an interview with Kessben FM on Friday, June 21, 2024.

In a related development, a survey by the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) identified Energy Minister Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh as the favored running mate for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the NPP's Presidential candidate for the 2024 general election.

The survey, conducted from June 12 to June 14, 2024, polled 5,116 NPP delegates, including national, regional, constituency, and polling station executives, using the party's delegate album for a representative sample.

Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh, also known as NAPO, received 76.2% of the responses, positioning him as the top choice for Dr. Bawumia's running mate.

Following NAPO is Yaw Osei Adutwum, with 10.1% support. Other potential candidates include Apostle Opoku Onyinah and Bryan Acheampong.

NAPO's popularity and grassroots connections make him a strong candidate, potentially unifying the party and bolstering Dr. Bawumia's chances, especially in the Ashanti region, an NPP stronghold.

An earlier NIB survey in January 2024 also favoured Dr. Prempeh as the electorate's choice for Dr. Bawumia's running mate.

However, Dr. Prempeh's role as Minister of Energy and the ongoing power crises could affect his candidacy, suggesting the need for government action to affirm his energy sector management skills, thus improving the NPP's 2024 election prospects.