Akufo-Addo leads in US poll

As campaigning for the December 7 general elections enters home stretch, Daily Guide has sighted an opinion poll conducted by a United State (US)-based polling organizations, Geolink Partners Incorporated, which states that the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo will be Ghana’s President come January 7, 2013.

The survey, conducted from November 18-25, among 2,711 likely Ghanaian voters, revealed a close race between the two major political parties in Ghana.


The NPP’s presidential candidate obtained a little over 50 per cent of the votes, whilst President John Dramani Mahama obtained 48 per cent. About two per cent of the respondents were still undecided.


Earlier polls had equally put NPP’s Nana Akufo-Addo ahead of his competitors. A survey conducted by Research International (RI) indicated that the opposition NPP would get 52 per cent of total votes in the December 7 polls, with the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) going home with 46.9 per cent.


The findings show that the other smaller parties would barely make one per cent of the collective votes.


The research was conducted between September and October 2012 across all the 230 constituencies in Ghana, states RI.

The findings appear to support the report of another international research group, DaMina research, headed by Sebastian Spoi-Gabrah, the son of NDC chieftain Ekwow Spio-Gabrah, which also predicted that the NPP would win the elections by between 52 per cent of the popular votes in the first round, with the NDC wining not more than 48 per cent.


The research forecasts similar doom for the smaller parties. In the opinion of DaMina, the combined votes of Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom of the PPP, Hassan Ayariga of the PNC and Dr. Abu Sakara Foster of the CPP would be around three per cent.


Daily Guide gathered that the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) had also conducted a secret survey that puts the NPP at a 56 per cent lead over its arch-rival, the NDC, which is estimated to get around 40 to 43 per cent.


The latest poll further revealed that the 10 regions of Ghana have been split equally between the NPP and NDC with each presidential candidate wining a total of five regions.


The poll suggests that the NDC is set to lose the Greater Accra and Central regions to the NPP-regions the NDC won in 2008 to clinch power.

The two regions are swing areas and whoever wins them is likely to occupy the Jubilee House.


The Krowor and Ledzokuku constituencies are indicative of the closeness of the battle for Greater Accra, and they are expected to be won by the NPP flag bearer.


Nana Akufo-Addo and President John Dramani Mahama are running neck to neck in these two constituencies, with the poll predicting close races in the Korle Klottey, Odododiodio and Trobu constituencies.


The Brong Ahafo Region, according to figures from the poll, is likely to be won by Nana Akufo-Addo, confirming its status as one of the four swing regions in Ghana.


Nana Akufo-Addo, however, is set to lose the three northern regions to President Mahama.

The poll reveals that the NPP candidate has made significant inroads into the Northern Region with 44.5 per cent of respondents stating they would vote for Nana Akufo-Addo.


Furthermore, the poll states that the NPP flag bearer has a greater likeability among the youth.


“Young voters support Mr Akufo-Addo by a significant percentage (Mr Akufo-Addo, 16 per cent vs 12 per cent for Mr Mahama),” the poll indicated.