The Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) has said the Political Science lecturers at the University of Ghana who released the opinion survey on the impending elections in Ghana that put the New Patriotic Party (NPP) ahead of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) engaged in an alleged academic fraud.
The survey conducted by the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana ahead of the December 7 polls has revealed that 51.7 percent of Ghanaians will vote for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo if the elections were held today.
The survey also noted that some 40.4 percent will vote for the opposition leader, John Dramani Mahama.
A further 1.4 per cent of voters, according to the survey, will vote for the Ghana Union Movement’s Rev. Christian Andrews, also known as Osofo Kyiri Abosom.
The survey, which sampled nearly 12,000 registered voters in 100 swing constituencies across the 16 regions of Ghana, also revealed corruption is not a key determinant for voters in the December 7 elections.
Presenting findings of the survey, Lecturer at the University of Ghana’s Political Science Department Kaakyire Frempong said many of the voters maintain campaign messages will form the basis for their vote.
He pointed out that 51 percent of voters think incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs will retain their seats in Parliament while 35 percent of seats are up for grabs.
Some 13 percent of the voters say MPs are likely to be changed, he said.
“It can be argued that this election is solely contested on policy-based issues. In this election, the economic issues have been framed around tangible and implementable policies. For the Ghanaian voter, their choice is for the candidate who has the capacity to carry through with transformational policies. Therefore, it did not come as a surprise when 62.2 percent of voters said the Free Senior High School programme offers hope to their future aspirations.
“It is interesting from voters’ respondents captured in Table 5 that the banking restructuring exercise that was greeted with cynicism and lamentations by the affected customers and business owners would have no effect on voters’ choices at the polls (0.7%). The voters have confirmed the policy-driven voting paradigm in contemporary elections.
“A majority of Ghanaian voters said they believe in the policies and programs being implemented by the incumbent government ( 61.7%). Only a minority 26.8% expressed lack of faith in the incumbent’s policies and 11.5% declined to make a response,” he said.
But a statement issued by ASEPA and signed by its director Mensah Thompson said “We believe that these actions by Dr.Owusu Mensah and the Head of Department of the Political Science Department cannot go unpunished for attempting to bring the name of the University into Public ridicule.
“We demand that University Disciplinary Committee Commences immediate investigations into this matter and sanction lecturers who may be found complicit in this brute attempt to defraud the public.
“We also preparing to petition the Criminal Investigations Department to launch a criminal investigations into the matter since it is a classic case of Academic Fraud perpetuated by these lecturers.”
Below is the full statement…
Press Statement by ASEPA on the Fake University of Ghana Polls by the Political Science Department- ASEPA Calls for Disciplinary Action Against Lecturers Publishing Fake Polls in the Name of UG
ASEPA EXPOSES UNIVERSITY OF GHANA ON FAKE POLLS
We have called you here to demonstrate to how some lecturers at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana has connived to launch a fake polls clearly aimed at influencing the outcome of the 2020 Elections.
First of all, we want to State Categorically that the University of Ghana, Political Science Department has NOT conducted any polls on the 2020 elections.
The polls being launched today is sole handiwork of one Dr. Owusu Mensah who has been contracted to publish a fake polls to hoodwink the public.
Earlier this month, a Facebook post by one Edudzi Tamakloe suggesting that the Department has conducted some polls and was shelving it was brought to the attention of the department.
The department agreed to issue a rebuttal or disclaimer which was drafted.
The disclaimer was given to the Head of Department to issue on behalf of the department.
The Disclaimer stated categorically that the Department has NOT conducted any polls this year.
The Head of Department failed to publish this rebuttal which had been agreed upon by the entire members of the Department and letter draft was on the 1st of November,2020.
Only for the same head of department who had written and signed those rebuttals to on the 24th November issue an invitation to members of the department that a survey has been conducted on the 2020 elections and they are invited to participate in the dissemination of the information.
This situation has seriously angered a lot of the lecturers of the department who feel the name of the University and for that matter the department to was being used for personal gains!
It is important to bring these issues currently happening at the department of Political Science at the University of Ghana to the attention of the Media and for that matter the public because it borders on the integrity of the premier University of this Country.
That individual members of the University can initiate research activity in a private capacity and want to hang the results in the name of the University.
Secondly, which serious Academic Institution would decide to publish a poll at this critical hour leading to a major elections?
We believe that these actions by Dr.Owusu Mensah and the Head of Department of the Political Science Department cannot go unpunished for attempting to bring the name of the University into Public ridicule.
We demand that University Disciplinary Committee Commences immediate investigations into this matter and sanction lecturers who may be found complicit in this brute attempt to defraud the public.
We also preparing to petition the Criminal Investigations Department to launch a criminal investigations into the matter since it is a classic case of Academic Fraud perpetuated by these lecturers.
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana