Ben Ephson defends his 'false' prediction, says Wontumi bought votes to win

Pollster Ben Ephson has defended his prediction in the just ended governing New Patriotic Party internal primaries where in the Ashanti Region, the incumbent Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi) secured re-election contrary to Ephson's projections.

According to him, had it not been the money he [Chairman Wontumi] paid to the delegates, he would have lost

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“We think that the distribution of money carried the day. I don’t think that the delegates, without inducements, would have voted for a Chairman under whose watch the NPP’s percentage of votes in the Ashanti moved from 76 per cent in 2016 to 71.6 per cent in 2020. Two, somebody who thinks he has the hundred of thousands, he rented an office for the regional NPP, he defaulted in payment of rent and the party’s properties are thrown out. But for inducement, who would have retained such a national Chairman?” he said in an interview on 3FM Monday, May 30.

The Managing Editor of the Dispatch Newspaper has been accused of getting his election predictions wrong. He had predicted during the NPP primaries that, Chairman Wontumi will lose to his closest contender but it turned out that Wontumi had beaten his closest contender, Chairman Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, also known as COKA by over 100 votes.

Defending his predictions on Neat FM, Ephson noted that those doubting his political forecasts have “short memories” – or are “babies” who have little idea about politics.

“I need to remind them of my records,” he stressed.