A prominent figure in the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has revealed the growing momentum of the party’s flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, as the December elections draw closer.
A recent survey led by Professor Smart Sarpong, Director of Research and Innovation at Kumasi Technical University said Dr. Bawumia is leading with a 38.9% and a preferred candidate for voters.
His main rival, John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), follows closely with 36.1%.
The survey indicated that, Dr. Bawumia is leading in many regions, including Ahafo, Ashanti, Bono, Central, Eastern, North East, and Western North.
In an interview on ChannelOne TV, Mr. Otchere-Darko said the survey results reflect Dr. Bawumia’s rising popularity among the party’s base as the election approaches.
However, he said this does not guarantee an election victory for D. Bawumia.
“So, the positive aspect of this poll is it doesn’t mean that Bawumia will win the election. But I think the positive aspect is that it appears his candidacy is gaining traction. And if it’s gaining traction, it should help his base in tackling the apathy, that is there,” he said.
He pointed out that, apathy is a significant challenge for an incumbent, adding that a candidate’s base will be re-energised if they believe in his potential to win.
Gabby Otchere-Darko indicated that, an incumbent’s chances of winning an election largely depend on overcoming apathy, since many voters might be dissatisfied due to unmet expectations.
“People who voted for you, expectations in this country, like many others, are sometimes too high so, it’s about apathy, that’s the first difficulty that an incumbent faces.
“I think that the basic antidote to apathy is your base believing that you can win. If they begin to believe that it is possible that you can win, then they will also be re-energised.”
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