It's precarious to predict victory for NPP 2016 – Lecturer

Former Head of the Political Science Department at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has posited that all things being equal, the incumbent President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E John Dramani Mahama will lose the 2016 presidential election.

According to him, it is likely for the president to lose this year, and also although there are indications that the NPP will win, vote buying, and rigging in our body politics and elections may negatively affect the outcome of the 2016 elections.

The major issue that may be considered by electorates he said would be the economy because when the economy is managed well, all other sectors would also be better. ‘’The economy is number one.

The economy is number two and the economy is number three because when we have a better economy, all other sectors performs well.’’ In his view, the investment in infrastructure under the NDC is commendable however; government cannot tout his achievements for example under the health sector when doctors continue to go on strike due to non-payment of salaries, inadequate health logistics among others.

‘’Building a hospital is a very good thing but that is not how it is done. If you have existing hospitals and you lack doctors; your doctors are going on strike and you do not have enough medicines, don’t go and build another hospital.

You have to ensure that the existing ones function properly. That is the detail President Mahama fails to give when touting his achievements in infrastructure.’’ He said, if governance is about contracting loans and investing them in infrastructure, then Akua Donkor can do that.

You will be commended as a government if you are able to manage the economy efficiently and that is what this government has failed to do.’’ According to polls conducted, the NPP is likely to win the 2016 presidential election but we have about one month to the election and anything can change.

There are factors that may influence the outcome of this election. It is very precarious to say that NPP will win because the factors that may affect this year's election may include cheating, vote buying and intimidation.

He alleged that some individuals are currently intimidating and threatening the lives of voters in the Northern part of the country to vote for them or they will kill them.