Election 2020: Pollster Ben Ephson predicts Akufo-Addo will win by 52.6%

Ghanaian pollster Ben Ephson has projected that President Nana Akufo-Addo will win the 2020 elections by 52.6%.

Four years after making predictions that went south, the Managing Editor of the Dispatch newspaper has fores that President Akufo-Addo will retain the seat.

In a poll that sampled respondents from Greater Accra, Central and part of Western regions, the result forecasted that the President’s main contender, John Dramani Mahama will get 45.7%.

The margin of error has been pegged at plus or minus 2%.

The figures mirror Mr Ephson’s 2016 polls in which he projected that Mr Mahama will win by 52.6% while the President who was the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate got 45.9%.

But this time, it is flipped in favour of Mr Akufo-Addo who won the 2016 elections by 53.8% while Mr Mahama who was on the ticket of National Democratic Congress received 44.4% of the votes.

Explaining the results to Joy News, Mr Ephson, said “In September 2016, Mr Mahama said he was withdrawing the teacher and nursing trainee allowance but he later changed his mind and the NPP took advantage of it.”

“Again in 2016, the governing NPP painted Mr Mahama as a corrupt appointee and people believed it. The NDC has not been able to erase that perception.

“And lastly, the former president has not been able to prove that he is going to indeed maintain the free Senior High School policy,” the Managing Editor of the Daily Dispatch newspaper explained as grounds for President Akufo-Addo’s victory.

With regards to the Convention People’s Party (CPP), which have promised to give the two main political parties ‘an electric shock’ come December 7, the pollster said he would be surprised if any of the 10 candidates including CPP are able to pull 4%.

About Ben Ephson

The pollster has conducted five major opinion polls over the last 20 years. In 2004, he predicted that the former President John Agyekum Kuffour would win with 52 or 54%, and he ended up with 53%.

In 2008, he indicated that there would be a run-off and who ever would win, would do so with 50,000 votes. In December 2008, Akufo-Addo won the first round of voting with more than 49% of the vote.

However, President Akufo-Addo did not get the required 50% plus one votes. He lost to his closest challenger, the late John Evans Atta Mills in the second round.

Fast forward to 2016, the pollster predicted that Mr Mahama would win but the incumbent lost.

After the defeat, Mr Ephson admitted that they did not take into account ‘apathy’ when they predicted and that accounted for Mr Mahama’s defeat in 2016.

Social media users have been reacting to the result of Mr Ephson latest’s poll. 

Aww my niece, don’t worry okay. President Akufo-Addo will win massively. 💙❤💙#4More4Nana#1Touch4Nana #MaintainNanaAddo pic.twitter.com/dniSlN2E0d

— Kofi Baah-Barimah (@kofi_badboy) November 23, 2020

President Akufo-Addo will win the December 7th general election. Insha Allah!!!

— Fahad Mohammed Sulemana (@FahadSulemana2) November 17, 2020

 

If u are Npp and you’re jubilating over Ben Ephson’s predictions, I have a message for u..

It shall surely end in tears for you ..😆 pic.twitter.com/U5sTbXWkzI

— Kwame Rudolf (@RudolfKwame) November 25, 2020

We know Akufo-Addo will win but the message is that, WE MUST WIN!!
Strengthen your sector Radio, TV, Facebook, Twitter, House to House, Door to Door, etc.#RetainAkufoAddo

— sir Justice🇬🇭 (@justiceWinebia) November 25, 2020

@NAkufoAddo i PRAY FOR YOU IF YOU WIN THIS ELECTION YOU WILL BUY ME A SMALL CAR🚙 I’M TOGOLESE MY NAME NAGBE DOSSEH MY NUMBER IS +22892960648 GOD BLESSED GHANA ✌️🇬🇭✌️ NANA AKUFO ADDO PRESIDENT OF UNITED OF GHANA ✌️❤️🇬🇭❤️

— Nagbe dosseh (@DossehNagbe) November 23, 2020

Trying soo hard to tag Akufo-Addo as corrupt. They have no message and they believe strongly that, this propaganda venture would win them votes. The truth of the matter is, their corrupt, incompetent candidate @JDMahama was rejected in 2016 & again in 2020, he will be rejected.

— Yaw A. Abban (@AbbanyawYaw) November 17, 2020

Polls or no polls, the NDC will win! Can’t you see that there has been a referendum on Akufo-Addo’s leadership? He has been rejected long long ago!!

— Alexander Bediako (@AlexanderBediak) November 20, 2020

It’s extremely clear that Mahama is being paid by Akufo-Addo to run against him because he knows JM will never win. If a credible person had been presented by the NDC, Akufo-Addo is as good as gone. #thinkonthat

— Nemesis234 (@Nemesisondamove) November 19, 2020

President Nana Akufo Addo for sure will WIN. NUMBER 1. NUMERO UNO.

— Kofi Baffour (@KofiBaffour10) November 17, 2020