Kumasi Technical University Senior Lecturer and pollster, Prof. Smart Sarpong, says NDC National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, remains the most preferred candidate among party delegates to unite the party after elections.
Prof. Sarpong disclosed this at a press conference in Accra where he presented findings from his latest assessment of attributes of potential flagbearers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He said the current study is not a prediction of who will win the flagbearer race, but an assessment of key leadership attributes, including ability to unite the party and suitability, as delegates weigh their options ahead of the picking of forms and vetting
“For now, we are trying to tease the minds of the delegates as to whom among the names we know around can best unite the party as one, and then suitability as two,” Prof. Sarpong explained.
According to him, on the question of who can best unite the party after primaries or elections, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, popularly known as General Mosquito, still leads with 24.5%.
He is followed by Member of Parliament for Asunafo South, Eric Opoku, with 20.4% - a gap of about 4.4 percentage points.
Prof. Sarpong said while other names are doing well, the lead has not changed much from his previous study.
On the unifier attribute, Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, and Prof. Joshua Alabi also featured in the rankings.
He noted that the certainty of Haruna Iddrisu’s participation appears to be waning among delegates, which has affected his performance compared to previous surveys.
On suitability as a flagbearer, Johnson Asiedu Nketia again leads with 27.6%, followed closely by Eric Opoku with 26.4% — a difference of just one percentage point.
Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson placed third, followed by Haruna Iddrisu with 10.4%. Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang polled 5.2%, Prof. Joshua Alabi 4.4%, and Julius Debrah 4.1%.
Prof. Sarpong explained that when it is time for final predictions, all attributes including suitability, unifying ability and winnability will be put together, as delegates who see the same candidate as most suitable and most unifying tend to tilt towards that candidate.
“But it is not time for prediction yet. We are taking the attributes one by one, and they might change as the people take forms and get engaged on the field properly,” he stressed.
He said his team will continue to measure the impact of campaigns once aspirants officially pick forms, go through vetting, and begin active campaigning.
