The political landscape of Ghana appears to be teetering on a precarious edge for Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as voting intentions among party affiliates and floating voters failed to favour his candidacy for the upcoming national elections following the latest poll conducted by Global InfoAnalytics,
The findings of the poll not only underscore the significance of understanding voter sentiment but also reveal stark implications for Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s presidential aspirations.
Notably, the poll revealed that 83 per cent of New Patriotic Party voters expressed their intention to vote for Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, while 9 per cent of the ruling party’s supporters intend to vote for the opposition party’s flagbearer, former President John Dramani Mahama.
Additionally, 7 per cent of the ruling New Patriotic Party’s supporters also revealed their intention to vote for the founder and leader of the Movement for Change Alan Kyerematen while the other 1 per cent intend to vote for other candidates.
Conversely, among National Democratic Congress voters, the loyalty to their party’s leader, John Mahama, is resolute, with a striking 96 per cent pledging their support to him with only 2 per cent of the opposition party’s supporters showing an inclination towards Dr Bawumia, while a mere 1 percent favoured Alan Kyeremanten.
The data thus means that while the National Democratic Congress flagbearer, former President John Dramani Mahama lost only 4 per cent of his party’s supporters, the Vice President on the other hand lost almost 17 per cent of the ruling party’s core supporters.
Floating Voters Favors Mahama over Bawumia
Furthermore, the voter intentions of floating voters, a crucial demographic in Ghana’s electoral politics according to the poll results paint a scary picture for the Vice President and the ruling New Patriotic Party.
For instance, among the floating voters, 59 per cent intend to cast their ballots for former President John Dramani Mahama, signalling a significant potential sway towards the opposition while Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia garnered 20 per cent of floating voters support with Alan Kyeremanten and Nana Kwame Bediako securing 11 per cent and 6 per cent respectfully.
Again, the data from respondents who withheld their party affiliation provides another worrying insight for the Vice President and the ruling party.
Here also, while 50 per cent of the group expressed support for the National Democratic Congress flagbearer, only 30 per cent favoured the Vice President and the ruling party’s flagbearer with 13 per cent and 4 per cent of the group leaning towards the leader of the Movement for Change and Nana Kwame Bediako’s New Force.
From the data, the most worrying concern for the Vice President is the notable portion of his party’s supporters who intend not to vote for him in the December 7 polls.
The deficit, amounting to nearly 17 per cent of the ruling party’s core supporters underscores internal divisions and resentment against the Vice President within the ruling party, which ultimately poses a formidable challenge to his bid for the presidency.
It is important to state that the implications of the poll results are dire for the ruling New Patriotic Party. With a significant segment of its base potentially defecting to the opposition, immediate measures must be taken to re-engage and rally support from within its ranks.
Failure to address these internal divisions could severely compromise the party’s prospects in the upcoming elections and significantly impact the political landscape of Ghana.
As the country navigates the complexities of electoral politics, the importance of understanding voter sentiment cannot be overstated.
The revelations from the poll serve as a wake-up call for political parties to reassess their strategies, bridge internal divides, and actively engage with voters to secure a path to victory in the upcoming elections.
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