Scientific research carried out by a professor of mathematics and Director of Research and Innovation at the Kumasi Technical University, Professor Smart Sarpong, has revealed that the former Vice President and 2028 presidential candidate hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is the most suitable, most popular and the lead unifier among the five persons contesting to be presidential candidate of the NPP for the 2028 general elections.
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia was the running mate of the NPP’s presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in the 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 elections. In 2008 and 2012, the NPP ticket lost both elections. In 2016 and 2020, the same ticket won both elections, and Dr Bawumia served two successive terms as Vice President of Ghana.
In November 2023, he contested and won the NPP’s presidential primaries and won. He subsequently contested the 2024 presidential elections against John Dramani Mahama, who was contesting for the presidency for the fourth time, having contested in 2012, 2016, and 2020.
Research Work
In his citizens’ perception survey report conducted ahead of the party’s presidential primaries, Professor Smart Sarpong asked respondents from both sides of the political divide three questions.
First, who among the five NPP candidates do you perceive to be the most popular? Second, who is the most unifier, and lastly, who is the most suitable to be the presidential candidate of the NPP?
Most popular
In response to the most popular question, 59% of NPP respondents chose Dr Bawumia, and 31% chose Kennedy Agyapong. 1.3% chose Osei Adutwum, 6.2% chose Bryan Acheampong, and 1.3% chose Kwabena Agyapong. 0.7% said they were undecided.
41.7% of NDC respondents chose Bawumia, and 34.5% chose Kennedy Agyapong. 6.8%chose Bryan Acheampong, 2,9%, Osei Adutwum, 1,6%Kwabena Agyapong and 12.5% were undecided. Among all citizens, 48.5% chose Dr Bawumia, 33.8% chose Kennedy, 5.7% chose Bryan, 2.3% chose Adutwum, and 8.4% were undecided.
Most unifier
40.2% of NPP respondents to the most unifier question chose Dr Bawumia, where as 24.0% chose Kennedy Agyapong. 16.8% chose Bryan Acheampong, 1.9% Adutwum, 1.0% Kwabena Agyapong, and 16.1% were undecided.
35.9% of NDC respondents chose Dr Bawumia, and 33.0% chose Kennedy Agyapong. 21.1% chose Bryan Acheampong3.4%, Osei Adutwum, 2.8% Kwabena Agyapong, and 3.7% were undecided.
Most suitable
In answer to who is the most suitable, 57.2% of NPP delegates chose Dr Bawumia, 31.9% went for Kennedy, and 7.5% chose Bryan Acheampong.1.4% for Adutwum, 0.7% for Kwabena Agyapong, and 1.3% were undecided.
39.1% of NDC delegates chose Dr Bawumia, 31.3% chose Kennedy, and 7.6% settled on Bryan Acheampong. 3.6% for Adutwum, 1.9% for Kwabena Agyapong, and 16.5% were undecided. Among all citizens, 46.8% chose Dr. Bawumia, 31.1% settled on Kennedy, and 7.0% chose Bryan Acheampong. 2.5% for Adutwum, 1.3% for Kwabena Agyapong, and 11.3% remained undecided.
Polls by GIA
In a related development, a new poll by Global Info Analytics has projected former Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia as the clear frontrunner in the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) 2026 presidential primaries, following an extensive nationwide data-gathering exercise spanning all 16 regions.
The poll, conducted between 29 December 2025 and 23 January 2026, is based on interviews with 10,133 respondents across 272 constituencies and offers what pollsters describe as a comprehensive snapshot of the party’s delegate landscape.
According to the Executive Director of Global Info Analytics, Mussa Dankwa, the predictive model places Bawumia in the lead with 57 percent support.
He is followed by Assin Central MP Kennedy Ohene Agyapong with 28 percent, while Abetifi MP and former Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, polls 13 percent.
Former Education Minister Yaw Osei Adutwum records 2 percent, with former NPP General Secretary Kwabena Agyepong trailing at zero percent.
Global Info Analytics said the survey employed computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) and deliberately extended beyond urban centres to capture delegate sentiment nationwide.
The poll claims a 99.9 percent confidence level, with a margin of error of ±1.57 percent. For the final predictive model, which incorporates historical voting patterns and the behaviour of undecided delegates, the margin of error is set to ±3.0 percent.
The most notable development in the January data, according to the pollsters, is the surge in support for Dr. Bryan Acheampong. Having polled in single digits in late 2025, his rise to 13 percent in the final week of the survey suggests growing acceptance of his messaging as a unifying option within the party.
Regionally, Global Info Analytics indicates that Bawumia’s commanding lead is anchored in a near-clean sweep of the five Northern regions, coupled with strong performances in the North East and Upper West regions.
However, the poll also highlights competitive pockets for Kennedy Agyapong, particularly in parts of the Central and Ashanti regions. His confrontational, anti-establishment messaging, the firm notes, continues to resonate with delegates who feel sidelined by the party’s central leadership.
While nominations for the NPP’s 2026 presidential primaries are yet to open and none of the potential contenders has formally declared, the poll is likely to shape early perceptions and internal calculations as the party begins positioning itself for the post-2024 era and the 2028 general elections.
