The Member of Parliament for the Manhyia South Constituency in the Ashanti Region and Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as Napo, has emerged as the favourite person to be considered as running mate to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Flagbearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Prof. Smart Sarpong, the Director of Research and Innovation at the Kumasi Technical University, has revealed in his latest survey.
The survey is the third in less than three weeks from different organisations, apart from previous predictions putting the Energy Minister ahead of his competitors.
Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh aka Napo
Based on his findings, Prof. Sarpong said his expectation of the party people to nominate Dr. Opoku Prempeh comes ahead of the other competitors.
This position is held by 35% of the delegate participants or respondents in the survey. The good news for Dr. Bawumia is that a very good percentage of respondents (26.8%) are okay with any choice he comes up with after his consultations.
Hon. Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum and Hon. Dr. Henry Kokofu follow with 14.5% and 10.4% respectively.
Prof Smart Sarpong
The former Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyina, is also expected to be named by some 8.5% of the respondents, with Chief of Staff Frema Opare also making it to what may appear to be the top-five nominees for the running mate position.
Conclusion
- The flagbearer may take a cue from this and other earlier surveys from his close team and
other external researchers to form a basis for the nomination of a suitable candidate as running
mate. -
Much as the party delegates’ views are crucial to his decision, Dr. Bawunia must also consider
selecting a person who is also acceptable to non-party members. -
Though many party delegates expressed worry over the delay in nominating a running mate,
this report is silent over it due to the vast indication of naming the running mate soon.
The introduction of the executive summary of the research spells out the methodology, sample size, among others.
Flagbearers are clothed with the responsibility to nominate a suitable candidate to partner with in presidential elections in Ghana. In such situations, flagbearers take time to consult widely to minimise the errors associated with choosing a running mate who may not help the ticket of the party much.
In this report, we present the views of some 3577 party executives selected from some 61 battlefield constituencies within six regions in Ghana.
In political literature, a battlefield is a constituency where the losing candidate loses with more than 30% of the votes cast for that election.
This report may serve as a complementary to the many reports flagbearers receive from research and non-research consultants to help shape the decision they take.
Design
Sampling technique – Convenience; Sample Size – 3577; Selection – willful & available party officer within the constituency.
The full executive summary and the actual findings are attached below:
