Asiedu Nketia tops NDC flagbearer attribute survey
National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has emerged as the leading potential contender in a new survey assessing the attributes delegates consider important in the party’s impending flagbearer race.
The Political Environment Assessment Survey, conducted by Professor Smart Sarpong and Feedback Africa, gave Mr Asiedu Nketia 24.5 per cent on the question of which potential candidate could best unite the party.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Asunafo South, Mr Eric Opoku, followed with 20.4 per cent, while the Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, and the former Education Minister, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, were among the other leading potential contenders.
Professor Sarpong, however, cautioned that the figures should not be interpreted as a prediction of who would eventually win the NDC flagbearer race.
He explained that the survey was assessing delegates’ views on key attributes of a potential flagbearer, particularly the ability to unite the party and suitability for leadership.
Speaking at the presentation of the survey in Accra on Tuesday, Professor Sarpong said the figures could change significantly once potential aspirants formally picked their nomination forms and embarked on full-scale campaigns.
“We are not doing predictions yet. We are looking at attributes of a possible flagbearer. One of them is the ability to unify the party,” he explained.
On suitability for leadership, Mr Asiedu Nketia again recorded the highest score, with 27.6 per cent, narrowly ahead of Mr Opoku, who obtained 26.4 per cent.
Dr Ato Forson followed with 16.1 per cent, while Mr Iddrisu recorded 10.4 per cent.
Professor Sarpong said the findings showed that the race was still developing, with some potential aspirants yet to openly declare their intentions.
He said uncertainty over the participation of some of the potential candidates could also affect their current ratings.
The survey involved 9,330 respondents from 11 regions, comprising 5,580 stakeholders and 3,750 NDC delegates.
The stakeholders included clergy, assembly members, teachers, health workers, police officers, youth association leaders and other influential persons whose views, Professor Sarpong said, could provide an indication of sentiment at the constituency level.
The exercise was conducted between September 10 and 20, 2026, with Professor Sarpong explaining that the timing was intended to capture recent developments in the emerging flagbearer debate.
He further observed that Mr Asiedu Nketia appeared to have “peaked” in the current assessment, while Mr Opoku was gradually gaining ground.
He said geographical considerations could also influence delegates’ choices if the eventual contest became closely contested.
Beyond the NDC contest, the survey found Ghana’s overall political environment to be relatively calm, with 52.1 per cent of respondents describing it as calm, 35.3 per cent as somewhat calm and 12.6 per cent as not calm.
Unemployment and the lack of job opportunities emerged as the most urgent concerns confronting constituencies, accounting for 40.4 per cent of responses.
Poor road infrastructure followed, while healthcare, sanitation, potable water and security were also identified among the major concerns.
Professor Sarpong said the findings should serve as a guide for political leaders and local authorities to respond more directly to the needs of citizens.
BY ENOCH NTIAMOAH SIAW
You can now read the *Ghanaian Times* and *The Spectator* newspapers digitally on [TimesNewsPlus](https://timesnewsplus.com/newspapers).
Follow our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
