Akufo-Addo heads for victory

Since 1992, delegates of the New Patriotic Party have never voted twice on their presidential candidate. It has always been 'one touch' and it seems not even the record number of contestants this time can buck the trend.

Just two days before delegates of the New Patriotic Party choose the flagbearer for the 2008 elections, there appears to be a natural swing in favour of one of the most formidable politicians of our time, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The contest, as unwittingly predicted by Tamale MCE Mohammed Amin Anta, appears to be between the "President's candidate?, Alan Kwadwo John Kyerematen, and the ?party?s candidate(s)?.

And, with several of the supporters of the 16 other candidates seeing the former Foreign Minister, Nana Akufo-Addo, as the man best placed to win, this is fluid, lubricating the swing in his direction.

In trotros, at drinking spots, and in homes up and down the country, there is a growing, general sentiment that the best results for party integrity and, more importantly, for re-affirming the people?s faith in Ghana?s fledgling democracy is, in the words of Texas-based NPP activist, Charles Biney, for anybody but the President?s favoured candidate to win.

The Statesman Research Desk, has undertaken intensive work on the list of delegates and a confidential multiple-checking survey conducted on and about 1,350 of them across the country puts Akufo-Addo at 55.4%.

He is followed by Mr Kyerematen at 23%, with Aliu Mahama at 4.9%. Giving our intensive research a wide margin of error of 10%, this would still place Nana Akufo-Addo at 45.4%.

And, even if all 10 percentage points were given to Mr Kyerematen, his 33% score could only force a second round, with the daunting challenge of convincing the followers of the other 15 aspirants to vote for him.

The survey did not include trouble spots Biakoye, Oforikrom and Atwimna Nwabiagya, the President?s original constituency. There are 2326 delegates in all.

A Joy FM report yesterday spoke of Akufo-Addo?s huge support in the Volta Region. Another independent survey conducted on the 132 delegates of the Upper East Region by a research group led by NPP activist Osman Konkonaba, gives Akufo-Addo a whopping 90 votes, followed by Mr Kyerematen with 21 votes and Alhaji Aliu with 17 votes.

For several months now, Nana has been consistently in the lead of almost every poll conducted, standing tall among the other aspirants with percentages ranging from 38-40 percent.

But, The Statesman notably predicted that as the voting day nears, support for the various aspirants will start crystalising behind two or three of the contestants.

Polls, especially about six commissioned by the Castle since March 2006, have all informed President John Kufuor and his Chief of Staff that Nana Akufo-Addo is by far the most popular choice.

Again, an online poll on ghanaweb, opened to all, indicates that Nana Akufo-Addo is leading the pack of 17 aspirants.

The new internet poll, which has been running for two weeks, consistently puts Nana more than 26 percentage points ahead of his closest rival, Alan Kyerematen. By 6pm yesterday, 8585 votes had been registered and 38.7% of them were for Nana.

Alan Kyerematen had a near-tie with Kwabena Frimpong Boateng on 11.5% and 11.4% respectively.

The heart surgeon was followed by Aliu Mahama (10.7 percent) and Yaw Osafo-Marfo, 6.2 percent.

While the ghanaweb poll is not scientific, the sheer number and consistency cannot be ignored. Moreover, it is designed to bar double voting from the same computer/internet system or network. Thus, even if an office is networked with the PCs using a single server, the ghanaweb voting system would reject multiple voting.

On both the ghanaweb poll and others conducted elsewhere, Felix Owusu-Adjapong and Baafuor Adjei-Bawuah are both among the least placed.