You are here: HomeNews2012 11 21Article 257038

General News of Wednesday, 21 November 2012

Source: The Crystal Clear Lens

NPP Behind The Bogus RI Polls

…that gave Akufo-Addo 52% lead …in 2008 the RI gave him 58% lead …yet he lost to late Prez Mills

By Cletus Abaare

Does the NPP really believe in the results of the recent Polls released by Research International? Does the party truly think that the ruling party performance over the last four years has been so abysmal that it is set to win the majority of votes in all regions of the country, including all the traditional strongholds of the NDC?

If the NPP truly believes that report, then NDC should heave a sigh of relief because it indicates that the complacency and self delusion within the opposition Party have reached such levels as to make the task of the NDC much easier in 2012.

Research International (RI) will ordinarily sound like a credible international organization whose work should be accorded some respect. Some reliable sources have stated however that the report currently making the rounds was seriously doctored by personalities within RI Ghanaian affiliate known to be closely connected with the NPP. The name of NPP National Chairman, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey has come up strongly. The names of other day dreaming members of the NPP have also surfaced as NPP personalities who have in the recent past had a close relationship with the local affiliate of Research International. The Crystal Clear Lens is also privy to information that the original and authentic survey done by the International group actually had the NDC ahead of the NPP. That survey had 57 percent of respondents stating their preference for the NDC over the NPP.

The release of this NPP inspired survey, according to our sources, was timed to come and neutralise the recent survey of CIU that put President Mahama ahead of their struggling Torchbearer Akufo-Addo. This recent report does not do the credibility of Research International much good. Already the financial struggles of RI are widely documented following recent massive lalour cutbacks it had to undertake due to lack of funds. So the sudden emergence of this clearly doctored report has set tongues wagging as to what the financial benefits accruing to RI from the super rich ruling NPP are and to what extent these have coloured the final report.

But in all seriousness, how many clear headed Ghanaians believe that the NPP is going to win about 60 percent of the votes in the Volta region in 2008? Without entering into further details, that alone should make it so easy to throw this survey where it should have been consigned from the beginning- the dust bin

In that doctored report being circulated by media mouthpieces of the NPP, the opposition will sweep approximately 52 per cent of the total votes in the December 7 presidential polls, while its rival, the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) will get 46.9 per cent of the votesThe findings show that the other smaller parties would barely make one per cent of the collective votes. They claimed that doctored and thievery report was conducted between September and October 2012 across all the 230 constituencies in Ghana.

MSRI which is an offshoot of the global research firm, Research International (RI), an affiliate of WPP Research, has been reportedly been wobbling financially and has taken some sum of money from the NPP to doctor the report in favour of Akufo-Addo.

The company is likened with communications firm such as Fitch, the global rating organization, Kander, an internationally acclaimed research group and Ogilvy South Africa, a communications group with footprints across Africa. It is also alleged that the contents of the bogus findings, show RI using a sufficiently large sample size of 4,600 people across different demographics in the country. According to the poll, the research survey, which specifically targeted the two biggest parties, NPP and NDC, had a confidence level of 98 per cent with a minimal margin of error of 1.8 per cent-plus or minus in the survey, the NPP is set to sweep Christian votes with 56 per cent against the NDC’s 40 per cent. The NDC’s votes would mostly come from Ghana’s Islamic and traditional religions.

The NDC is set to win about 63 per cent of Muslim votes against the NPP’s 39 per cent. The same trend is expected to be repeated among voters in the traditional religion where the NDC would sweep over 60 per cent of the votes.Interestingly, age has a major role to play in determining the direction of votes in the forthcoming elections.

The survey shows that older voters of between 50 to 100 years are likely going to be the best bet for the NDC at an average of 53 per cent of total votes, while the more populous youthful voting segment of between 18 years and 49 years would be rooting for the NPP with a lead of about 55 per cent over its rival. The position is vastly different from the attempt of the NDC to portray its candidates as a youthful person born after Ghana’s March 6, 1957 independence. The only thing in this world that is not hidden is the truth. The NPP and their leadership can continue to tingle themselves and laugh loudly but December 7 will surely set the records straight. What Ghanaians want from them is to willfully accept the defeat staring right in their face of which they know that Ghanaians know come December 7.