The Executive Director and Head of Global Research at Global Info Analytics, Mussa Dankwah, has revealed that 20% of voters who supported Nana Akufo-Addo in the 2020 presidential election shifted their allegiance to John Mahama in the 2024 elections.
Speaking on Joy News’ AM Show, Mr. Dankwah explained that research findings highlighted a significant change in voter preferences, with a substantial number of Akufo-Addo’s 2020 supporters now backing Mahama.
According to him, the data was collected through interviews conducted immediately after voters cast their ballots.
“We asked voters who they had supported in the previous election and carried out a triangulation to identify the percentage that voted for Nana Akufo-Addo in 2020 and that of the December 7 presidential elections. We found that a considerable number of these voters had switched their votes,” he emphasized.
This revelation has sparked considerable interest and debate among political analysts, many of whom are keen to understand the reasons behind such a dramatic shift in voter preferences.
Mr. Dankwah also provided insights into the situation in the Eastern Region, describing it as a surprising outcome.
“The Eastern Region was a shocker,” he remarked. “When we looked at what happened there, it was clear that more people were voting for Mahama than for Nana Akufo-Addo.”
He further explained that the shift in voter behaviour was not due to low turnout but rather a fundamental change in preferences. “It wasn’t that people didn’t turn up; they did. But their votes seemed uncertain about where they should go,” he noted.
Mr. Dankwah attributed this shift to dissatisfaction with issues such as the economy, unemployment, and education. He criticized the NPP’s campaign strategy, which focused predominantly on education, for lacking sufficient supporting data.
“The numbers were not there for education, but they were there for jobs and the economy,” he observed. This gap, he explained, allowed Mahama to capitalize on voter concerns and present himself as a better alternative to address their needs.
The findings reflect a significant shift in Ghana’s political landscape. The NPP sought to retain the support of its 2020 voters, but changes in voter priorities and unmet expectations, particularly regarding the economy, led many to switch their allegiance to Mahama, Mr. Dankwah concluded.
Global Info Analytics, under Mr. Dankwah’s leadership, accurately predicted the election outcome, earning widespread commendation from political observers for their research and analysis.
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