Mahama's 99% Vote At Primaries Means Little For 2024: Ben Ephson Says Outcome Suggests He Has Mandate of NDC

• Pollster Ben Ephson has advised John Mahama and the NDC to be careful about seeing John Mahama's huge margin of victory as a sign that the party is in a pole position to win in 2024
• The renowned polls analyst explained that factors such as how the opposition party handles creeping internal party issues could play a role
• The editor of the Daily Dispatch newspaper told YEN.com.gh exclusively that it is too early for any survey to make a credible prediction about which party, NDC or NPP, will win the presidential polls in 2024

Pollster Ben Ephson has cautioned the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) against complacency in the next general election due to the massive votes garnered by the party's 2024 flagbearer.

The polls analyst and editor of the Daily Dispatch newspaper explained that while the 98.9% of votes that John Dramani Mahama secured during the party's presidential primaries works well to remove doubts about who the NDC prefers, it plays an insignificant role in determining his chances in the national election in December 2024.

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Ben Ephson told YEN.com.gh in an exclusive interview that how the NDC handles creeping internal party issues between now and D-Day on December 7, who the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) elects as its flagbearer and campaign communication are still key factors that can tilt victory to either to the NDC or the NPP.

"This huge margin of victory is good. But really, it does not guarantee that will win in 2024 and become president. One thing is for certain, the 99% votes he got shows he has the mandate of the party, no doubt about that," he told YEN.com.gh.

NDC must not be carried away

Ben Ephson also spoke generally about some of the surveys that have tipped the NDC to win the next presidential and parliamentary election.

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Ephson said while he respects the methodology that informed those surveys, the NDC risks running a poor campaign that can wrestle power from the better-resourced NPP.

"The surveys will come but how either of the two main parties decide to let these influence them is their choice" he added.

NDC stands a strong chance of winning 2024 elections

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported that the opposition NDC has been tipped by a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit to win the next presidential and parliamentary elections.

This means that the possibility of former president John Mahama returning as president in 2024 is most likely since he emerged victorious during the party's primaries.

The report by the EIU, however, cautioned the party against fielding Mahama as its flagbearer, proposing that the party presents a youthful candidate to voters.

Source: YEN.com.gh