Ben Ephson, a pollster, has responded to the criticism he has faced on social media for his inaccurate forecast of the Assin North by-election result.
The Daily Dispatch’s managing editor, Ben Ephson, had first predicted that Charles Opoku of the New Patriotic Party would defeat James Gyakye Quayson of the National Democratic Congress.
The NDC parliamentary candidate won the by-election held on Tuesday, June 27,2023, albeit by a wider margin than in the elections held in 2020. As a result, social media users made fun of Ben Ephson’s most recent prediction error.
He has admitted his mistake in judgment in reaction to the criticism, but he has also noted his long history of accurate election predictions. He stated that since 1996, he has correctly anticipated the results of seven elections, with only one prediction going wrong (in 2016).
He expressed his resilience in the face of criticism, stating, “From 1996, I got it spot-on, these things don’t bother me because I’ve got a track record.”
Ben Ephson emphasized that the criticism he faced in 2016 was more harsh than it is now and assured his listeners that it would not stop him from making predictions in the future. “What if I got it right? I’m kind of used to it,” he stressed.
He claimed that even tried-and-true scientific predictions from the United States of America about the results of some elections fall short.
After the by-election was completed, James Gyakye Quayson was formally recognized as the Member of Parliament-elect for the Assin North seat by the Ghanaian Electoral Commission. Quayson, who ran for office on the National Democratic Congress (NDC) ticket, won by a sizable margin.
According to the announcement made by the Electoral Commission, James Gyakye Quayson received a total of 17,245 votes, or 57.56% of the total votes cast. Charles Opoku of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who was his closest rival, received 12,630 votes, or 42.15 percent of the vote. 87 votes, or 0.29% of the total, went to Bernice Enyonam Sefenu of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG).
In Assin North, a by-election was held to fill the parliamentary seat that became vacant after a legal dispute regarding Quayson’s eligibility to occupy office due to dual citizenship issues.
NPP Squashed By Gyakye Quayson
Franklin Cudioe, the head of IMANI Africa, reacted to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) winning the June 27 by-election, according to preliminary findings.
Cudjoe claims that James Gyakye Quayson, the NDC candidate, has degraded the present and future of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) by his victory.
After the NDC published the provisional results, he expressed his opinion on social media.
“James Gyakye Quayson has humiliated the current and the near future of the NPP. The state was used to maltreat him. Alas, when you aim at a King, make sure you strike him dead. Quayson lives.”
Franklin Cudjoe
READ ALSO: Victory In Assin North By-Elections Is A Signal To Ghanaians- Fifi Kwetey
