Veteran Ghanaian journalist and pollster, Ben Ephson, in his preview of the 2024 general elections, offered that the National Democratic Congress will have to improve its numbers in the Eastern and Ashanti Regions if the party is to win the elections.

Ben Ephson disclosed on Angel FM that John Dramani Mahama and the NDC will have to accumulate 32% and 42% of votes in the Ashanti and Eastern Regions respectively to achieve their dream of returning to power.

While reaffirming his belief in the three historically swing (Greater Accra, Central and Western) regions to determine the outcome of the polls, Ben Ephson noted that the Ashanti Region in particular will have a big say in the elections.

While Ephson tips the region to retain its status as the ‘World Bank’ of the NPP, he believes that the NDC will have to poll a significant size of the votes if they are to win power.

“The three swing regions normally decide the elections but if you don’t do too well in your stronghold, no matter how well you do in those swing regions, it will affect your chances. The swing regions are Greater, Central and Western. “If NDC gets 32% in Ashanti and 42% in the strongholds of the NPP like Eastern Region, they are likely to win. NDC has a big challenge. Their vote accumulation in the Volta Region in the last three elections has been dropping.

“NDC strongholds are Volta and Northern Regions and in the last three elections, NDC votes have dropped in the Northern Region while NPP votes have gone up by almost 10%. This is the challenge that NDC will have to overcome,” he said.

The 2024 election is billed to be a battle between Dr Mahamudu Bawumia of the NPP who are seeking to ‘break the 8’ and John Dramani Mahama of the NDC who are eyeing a return to power.

While John Mahama is promising a 24-hour economy, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is promising a blue economy.