NPP presidential aspirant Kwabena Agyepong says he has mentally prepared himself for both outcomes of the party’s presidential primary, whether he wins or loses.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, the engineer said elections are not contests to be approached with illusions, stressing that the reality of politics demands emotional readiness for defeat as much as victory.
“I believe in an election, it’s not like a football game. It’s either you win, or you do not win, and you have to prepare yourself emotionally for either outcome, which is what I have done,” he said.
His comments come amid a flood of opinion polls circulating in the media space ahead of the NPP’s internal contest, many of which rank aspirants and attempt to predict outcomes.
Mr Agyepong expressed scepticism about the credibility of frequent polling, questioning the logistics and cost involved in conducting nationwide surveys across all 276 constituencies.
“It costs a lot of money to do polls, so I’m surprised that certain pollsters can virtually give you weekly polls,” he said.
He argued that conducting proper surveys with credible sample sizes nationwide would require significant resources, casting doubt on the intent behind some published results.
“To travel around 276 constituencies and administer proper questionnaires and get a proper sample size must cost some money,” he noted.
The former General Secretary of the NPP suggested that some polls may be aimed more at shaping delegates’ mindsets than at reflecting their true preferences at this stage of the contest.
“So I’m beginning to feel that this is psychological operations, calculated to fashion the thinking and the direction of the delegates, rather than the expression of their preference for now,” he said.
Despite his concerns, Mr Agyepong said he does not entirely dismiss the polls, but remains focused on his own path in the race.
“So yes, I don’t dismiss them, but at the end of the day, I’m a very focused person,” he added.
The NPP is preparing for a highly competitive presidential primary on January 31, to select a flagbearer ahead of the 2028 general elections, with several high-profile aspirants vying for the position.
