The Centre for Governance, Economic and Election Research-Ghana has predicted a win for the presidential candidate for the NDC, former President John Mahama ahead of Saturday’s polls.

The survey which was conducted in November 2024 in some selected swing constituencies portrayed a clear victory for John Mahama.

The survey was spearheaded by Dr. Gbensuglo Alidu Bukari, Head of the Department of Political Science for the
University for Development Studies and
Mr. Maclean Ninsaw Gbati of the Department of Political Science at the University of Ghana (Legon).

According to Dr Bukari, the survey was based on the rational choice model, which recognized that most voters, particularly the swing voters, are not identified with any political party.

Below are the findings;

Summary of findings

In this study, six hundred (600) respondents were randomly selected in a cross sectional survey in six swing constituencies.

This sample was selected at 95%
confidence level of significance, and the margin of error was 5%. Based on the
response rate, we expect the total voter turnout on 7 December 2024 to be 80% (±5).
In the study, 57.4% of our sample respondents said they would vote for the NDC
presidential candidate.

Also, 27.5% of the respondents said they would vote for the NPP presidential candidate, while 15.1% indicated their support and vote for other candidates (key issues for consideration were performance, policies, personality, party unity, economy, education, health, jobs, agriculture, and vice-presidential running mates). Based on the findings, we expect the NDC candidate to win the presidential election with a victory margin of 52.4 or 57.4, all things being equal.

Methodology

The study design was cross-sectional. We adopted a multi-stage cluster sampling
approach. For the purpose of this study, the whole country was clustered into three (3) electoral zones (i.e., the northern electoral zone, the middle electoral zone, and the coastal electoral belt). The study was then conducted in six (6) randomly selected constituencies in the electoral zones from 1 November 2014 to November 30, 2024. In the study, two constituencies were randomly selected from each of the three (3) electorally clustered zones.

The study questionnaires were then administered to two hundred (200) randomly selected respondents in each of the six (6) selected study constituencies in the three (3) electoral zones of Ghana (for the purpose of our study).

The sample frame for our survey includes all citizens of voting age (18 years) and
above within the country who are registered voters at the time of the study. The
determination of the sample size was based on the following assumptions.

i. The study assumed confidence interval of 95 percent. It is assumed that at 95 percent confidence level of statistical significance, the right decision was made in choosing the sample size for the study. This statistically significant level means that the probability of obtaining the findings by chance only will
be less than 5 percent. In other words, there are about 5 chances in 100 that the study would reject the null hypothesis, when in fact it should be accepted.

ii. Since we do not have control over the respondents in the survey, the study assumed the response rate to be 90 percent. The study assumed a split decision of 50-50 chance of responding to our questionnaire;

iii. Only Ghanaians who are 18 years and above, and are registered voters were
qualified to respond to the questionnaire designed for the study;

iv. The random selection of the respondents was based on registered voters, with a significance level of 0.05 percent at 95 percent confidence level for the study.

The sampling frame was the Electoral Commission of Ghana 2024 voters register
which captured all eligible voters of 18 years and above for the 2024 elections.

The minimum statistically acceptable sample size was determined by employing a
simplified formula to calculate sample size at 95% confidence level and P = 0.05 are
assumed. It states that; 𝒏 =𝑵(𝟏+𝑵(𝜶𝟐)
, Where; 𝒏 = sample size; 𝑵 = sample frame
or total registered voters of 18 years (18,774,159); α = confidence interval or level
of precision; and 𝟏 = constant. By substitution, we have 399.76 (n = 400).

So, to cater for the non-response, we added 200. Therefore, the sample size of 600
respondents was considered for the study.

Source: Myxyzonline.com

Former Special Prosecutor, Mr Martin Amidu, has supported ex-president John Mahama’s bid to become president again, saying he is the right person to audit Akufo-Addo’s mess.

Although the former president is not a saint, he has the experience necessary to correct the wrongs in the system created by the Akufo-Addo administration.

“John Dramani Mahama is not a saint, but he is nobody’s poodle. He has the experience, as a former president, to audit the mess that the Nana Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government will leave behind,” he said.

He explained that, despite having had differences with John Mahama in the past, Mahama possesses the experience required to ensure probity and accountability in the country, following President Akufo-Addo’s failure to do so. “I have had problems with John Dramani Mahama in the past, which are documented on my website. The constitutional situation on our hands, however, demands pragmatism to ensure probity and accountability after an eight-year tenure of government. We need a candidate who can command a sizeable parliamentary representation to actualise an audit of the previous government,” he said.

In one of his epistles released three days before the 2024 general election, he further stated that the president is afraid of being audited by John Mahama. He thus called on Ghanaians to vote against the NPP on December 7 to defend and preserve the country’s constitution.

“John Dramani Mahama, whose audit Nana Akufo-Addo fears, ought to be the best bet for the integrity of the 1992 Constitution in our present circumstances. The 1992 Constitution does not enshrine dynasty or inheritance by cronyism, and that is why the electorate should aim for a change in government on 7 December 2024, to defend and preserve the Constitution of our Fourth Republic. Ghana must always come first,” he emphasized.

He also stated that he would not endorse the candidacy of Dr Bawumia, saying, “I cannot, as a person born in the then NT, recommend Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as a person with the traits of honesty, integrity, and selfless service exhibited by our forebears from the NT to the Republic of Ghana, to be elected on 7 December 2024 as president, symbolising a representation of northerners on an NPP ticket for Ghana.”

Mr Amidu, who also served as Attorney General under the NDC government in the past, described President Nana Akufo-Addo as the “mother serpent of corruption” after he resigned as the country’s first Special Prosecutor in the year 2020, a role the president gave him to fight corruption.

He believes that the president did not offer him the supportive environment needed to investigate and prosecute corrupt individuals under the NPP administration.

The NDC’s Deputy Director of Elections and IT has accused the Ashanti Regional Electoral Commission (EC) Director of undermining electoral procedures by blocking the NDC from sealing ballot boxes during Monday’s special voting exercise.

Dr Rashid Tanko-Computer speaking on Joy News’ PM Express, described the incident as a serious violation of electoral laws and a threat to Ghana’s democracy.

“The Special Voting wasn’t rosy,” he revealed during an interview on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday. “If not because we had to hold back our anger, it would have starred in the face of Ghanaians.”

Dr Tanko-Computer detailed the events of Sunday evening, a day before the special voting exercise when the EC distributed ballot boxes and electoral materials.

He explained that, traditionally, political parties are allowed to place their seals on ballot boxes alongside those of the EC, a process aimed at safeguarding the integrity of the elections.

However, Tanko-Computer alleged that the Ashanti Regional EC Director gave explicit instructions to district officers to deny the NDC the opportunity to place their seals on the ballot boxes.

“I am saying he gave instructions. He told them that the NDC should not put a seal. When I confronted him, he asked me, ‘If we have 400 ballot boxes, are you going to put seals on all of them?’ And I told him, ‘If you bring 1 million ballot boxes, I will put 1 million seals. That’s what the CI says.’”

Dr Tanko-Computer escalated the matter to senior EC officials, including Mr Tettey and Dr Bossman Asare, who intervened.

“They had to call him, and he finally backed down. But by then, some districts were already operating under his initial orders,” he lamented.

Dr Tanko-Computer further criticised the Ashanti Regional EC Director for allegedly instructing officials not to share the validation stamp number with party agents, a move he described as a blatant violation of CI 127, the regulation guiding elections in Ghana.

“The CI is very clear,” Dr Tanko-Computer said.

“Before voting begins, Part A and Part B of the pink sheet must be completed. Part B includes the validation stamp number, which must be recorded to ensure that any stamp not matching that number during sorting can be identified as foreign material. Yet, the Regional Director ordered that this information should not be shared with our agents.”

He accused the EC official of jeopardising Ghana’s peace and democracy.

Source: Joy News

The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has accused the government of mismanaging an $11.5 billion loan facility acquired over the last eight years.

According to Mahama, these funds, if properly utilised, could have been invested in transformative projects to propel Ghana towards development akin to cities like Dubai.

Addressing the Muslim community during a special prayer service at the Great Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in the Ashanti Region, Mahama contrasted the current government’s performance with his tenure.

He highlighted that with a $3.5 billion loan during his administration, he financed landmark infrastructure projects, including the expansion of Tema Harbour, the construction of Terminal 3 at Kotoka International Airport, and several other developments aimed at enhancing the nation’s growth.

“President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo borrowed to a tune of $11.5 billion just within 5 years. Despite all the developmental projects that I championed when I was president, we only borrowed to the tune of $3.5 billion.

“If I had borrowed to the tune of $11.5 billion when I was president, Ghana would have been developed like Dubai.