A new nationwide survey has placed former Vice President and New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia ahead of all major potential National Democratic Congress (NDC) contenders in hypothetical matchups for the 2028 general elections.
The poll, conducted by Africa Policy Lens between July 27 and August 7, 2026, surveyed 16,963 voters across all 276 constituencies and tested Bawumia against seven possible NDC candidates in one-on-one contests.
Bawumia recorded between 45.7 percent and 49.9 percent of the vote across the seven matchups.
He led NDC National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia by 45.8 percent to 42.4 percent, while he secured 45.7 percent against Dr Cassiel Ato Forson’s 42.8 percent.
Against Haruna Iddrisu, Bawumia polled 45.9 percent compared with 41.5 percent for the former minister.
The former vice president’s advantage was wider in matchups involving Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang and Dr Julius Debrah. He recorded 47.4 percent against Opoku-Agyemang’s 40.2 percent and 48.4 percent against Debrah’s 37.9 percent.
His strongest performances were recorded against Eric Opoku and Prof. Joshua Alabi. Bawumia received 49.8 percent against Opoku’s 33.9 percent, while he polled 49.9 percent compared with Alabi’s 34.4 percent.
The survey also recorded between 7.2 percent and 9.3 percent undecided voters across the different hypothetical contests.
At the regional level, Bawumia was found to be ahead in between 9 and 11 of Ghana’s 16 regions in each matchup tested.
Despite the consistent advantage, the researchers cautioned against treating the findings as a forecast of the 2028 election result.
The report said the figures should instead be viewed as a snapshot of public opinion during the period in which the survey was conducted.
“Although the findings should be interpreted as a reflection of public opinion at a particular point in time rather than as a prediction of future electoral outcomes, the consistency of Dr. Bawumia’s advantage across all hypothetical contests constitutes a noteworthy pattern,” the report stated.
