Pollster and Editor-In-Chief of the Daily Dispatch Newspaper, Ben Ephson, is predicting victory for the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Talensi by-election should their apology be well accepted by the people.
According to him, should the apology be rejected, it is the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) that will benefit from the vote of the people.
“If the people accept the apology, NDC will win …, if they reject it, NPP will win,” he noted in an interview with Fiifi Banson on Anopa Kasopa on Kasapa 102.3 FM Monday.
He said in the run up to the 2012 general elections, candidate B. T. Baba lost miserably in “a bitter NDC parliamentary primary to John Tia” who was the incumbent Member of Parliament.
As a result of this, about 7000 to 8000 of his supporters turned against the party where half of that number voted for Robert Nachinab Doameng Mosore of the NPP while the rest voted for the candidate that represented the Peoples National Convention (PNC) party.
With this hostility coupled with the time frame in going into the 2016 general elections, Mr. Ephson said the opportunity that the by-election has brought about is the best moment for the NDC to make amends with the people.
He said all the big wigs in the umbrella family who are in Talensi are on their begging knees pleading for forgiveness in the event that happened prior to the 2012 Parliamentary election.
The Talensi seat, had for the past two terms, been occupied by the ruling NDC with a majority of 2000 votes difference, he said.
However, the seat fell to the NPP’s Robert Nachinab Doameng Mosore in the 2012 Parliamentary election because of the confusion that rocked the NDC.
With barely two and half years in office, Mr. Mosore resigned his post to be enskinned Paramount Chief of Tongo Traditional Area, thereby, paving the way for a by-election.
His decision, according to Mr. Ephson was very “sensible because he knew that if the NDC come with a united front, they will win the seat”.
He told Banson that should the apology be well accepted, “it is obvious that the NDC will win back the seat”.
“All the party big wigs who have been there have pleaded for forgiveness and their message is that John Tia who was their favourite has been rewarded by the party by making him the Ambassador to Cuba. John Tia’s reward as ambassador could be the turning point for the apology,” he noted.
Commenting further on Tuesday’s by-election, Mr. Ephson dispelled suggestions by the two political parties, NPP and NDC, that a win in Talensi will epitomize the 2016 general elections, noting that “Talensi is not a propaganda value.”
Eight candidates are contesting the Talensi by-election with Thomas Pearson Duanab Wuni of the NPP and Benson Tongo Baba of the NDC said to be in pole position to annex the seat.
The other candidates are Joseph Toatoba, Progressive Peoples Party (PPP), Dennis Atiah Tambil, Independent Peoples Party (IPP) and James Mambora Doubil, New Vision Party (NVP).
The rest are Michael Namalteng Wombeogo, Peoples National Convention (PNC), Philip Bameezina Yaro, Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) and Isaac Kungasore of the United Progressive Party (UPP).
By: Kasapafmonline.com/Ghana
