Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram Constituency, Sam Nartey George has launched a scathing attack on renowned pollster, Ben Ephson over his prediction that president Akufo-Addo will be re-elected in the December polls.
This follows the publication of an opinion poll conducted by the pollster in the November 25 edition of the Daily Dispatch Newspaper.
The opinion polls, according to the publication, indicates that president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will win the 2020 polls in the first round with 52.6 percent while his main contender, John Dramani Mahama will only manage 45.7 percent of the votes.
Mr. Ephson explained in the publication that Mr. Mahama’s apparent loss in the December polls among other reasons is attributable to fears by section of the electorates particularly teachers and nurses that he may cease the payment of allowances to trainee nurses and teachers if he is given the nod again.
“There are a couple of reasons why Mr. Mahama will find it difficult to win. The first reason is that many nursing and teacher trainees do not trust that Mr. Mahama will not withdraw their allowances again,” he stated.
He added that “the NPP has been able to convince them that Mr. Mahama will punish them for voting against him NDC in 2016.
But reacting to Mr. Ephson’s poll in a post on social media, Mr. Sam George who described the pollster in unpleasant terms said Mr. Ephson lacks the credibility to accurately predict the outcome of any election.
The NDC MP who claimed the pollster had inaccurately predicted that he would lose in three different elections urged the public to ignore the outcome of the opinion polls.
“I have always maintained that Ben Epson is a joker masquerading as a pollster. No serious mind would pay him heed. He predicted me losing three elections, I won all. Check his track record – abysmal! Ignore his pathetic self,” he said.
The Mahama’s administration, in 2014, scrapped the payment of allowances to teachers and nursing trainees to the displeasure of the trainees and section of the public.
Mr. Mahama who was then president justified the decision with the claim that it was aimed at increasing enrollment at the Colleges of Education and the Nursing Training Colleges.
The then opposition NPP, however, described the decision as insensitive to the plight of nurses and teachers promising to reinstate the payment of the allowances should they win the 2016 elections.
This most political watchers believe contributed to the NPP’s victory in the 2016 elections.
Upon assuming power, the NPP’s government led by president Akufo-Addo fulfilled its pledge of reinstating the payment of the allowances.
