Poll reveals NPP heading for defeat in 2008 Presidential Elections.

NPP has squandered the goodwill message that accompanied their second electoral victory over NDC in 2004.

According to survey, voters in all the 10 regions want to see a CPP challenger defeat any flag bearer elected by the ruling New Patriot Party delegates as their presidential for the 2008 elections.

The poll conducted by Ghana Youth Movement for Reporters without Boarders shows that voters in all the 10 regions see NPP as a corrupt party and their 20 flag bearers as the worst corrupt politicians ever seen in the history of the country.

The results show that in the 3 northern regions plus Brong Ahafo, Volta, Central and Western Regions, majority of the voters share a rejection for the NPP, a contempt for 2 of the party’s leading flag bearers, Nana Akuffo Addo and Alan Kyeremanten, and a growing hostility to NPP’s functionaries blatant show of ill gotten wealth.

The nationwide poll suggests that voters are willing to take any money given to them by the NPP flag bearers but vote for a CPP candidate on Election Day. This is a new phenomenon that threatens to derail NPP’s “gravy” train in stashing the nation’s wealth in private individual party apparatus off shore accounts.

The polls in Central and Western Regions, two key regions that CPP must carry to win the presidency, shows that if the presidential elections are held today, they would vote 50% for CPP, 30% for NDC and 20% for NPP.

57% in 3 Northern Regions and 60% in the Western and Central Regions say they want a change and are prepared to vote for CPP. However, 40% of those polled in the 5 regions wants to see a united Nkrumaist party before 2008 elections, rising to startling 80% among the 18 to 45 year group. This is the core group who were too young to know the immense popularity of CPP in the 1960s. The support for CPP among the 18 to 45 year group is crucial to CPP’s success. Majority said they know Nkrumah is the father of the nation, but was made aware of his love for the common man by during Ghana @50 celebrations and the campaigning by CPP Patriots.

The rejection of NPP is strongest in Western, Central, Greater Accra and the 3 Northern regions where 69% say they would back the opposition parties, but it is very strong in traditionally very pro NPP Ashanti region where neglect of some of their core constituencies have translated into 40% for CPP.

In Ashanti and Eastern regions, anti NPP is not so marked as in the rest of the regions, especially Volta, Western and Central regions where more that 58% say their view of NPP as a competent party has gone down, especially with the blatant show of wealth by NPP flag bearers. Majority of the voters in the Southern regions think all the NPP flag bearers who served in the Kufuor administration are corrupt and must be investigated for their source of wealth.

A majority in all the regions, except Ashanti and Eastern regions believes NPP will lose the 2008 elections.

Perhaps the most startling finding from the poll is that a majority of voters, 65% of voters, say that they believe CPP is the only party to bring prosperity to Ghana and give all Ghanaians, irrespective of tribe or region the same opportunity.

This a perspective shared by analysts and commentators who see CPP as peaking at the right moment. However the question people keep asking is, can CPP unite all Nkrumaist parties under its umbrella before 2008 elections?

Ghana Youth Movement interviewed a random sample of 5,000 adults aged 18 and 60 face to face between October 14- 20, 2007. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all voters.