Obuobia Darko-Opoku (left), Ben Ephson (right)
The parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the Weija-Gbawe Constituency, Obuobia Darko-Opoku, has sounded a warning to pollster Ben Ephson to desist from conducting ‘misleading’ polls.
Ms. Darko-Opoku gave the warning following claims by Mr Ephson that the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary aspirant for the Weija-Gbawe constituency, Tina Mensah would retain the seat for the NPP, challenging him to produce data to buttress his point.
Even though the area appears to be NPP’s stronghold, Obuobia insists that she stands the chance of winning the seat, rubbishing the alleged polls result.
According to her, “Mr. Ephson should come again and must produce his statistics since that is the only basis to convince discerning minds.”
Ms. Darko-Opoku explained that “in 2012, he (Ben Ephson) also predicted Benita Sena Okity-Duah, Member of Parliament for Ledzokuku constituency will lose her seat and we all know what happened.”
In a strongly-worded statement released to the media, Ms Darko-Opoku, Deputy Chief Executive of the Free Zones Board said, “I read with utter dismay pollster Ben Ephson’s assertion that I’ll lose the Weija-Gbawe parliamentary race come December 7, 2016.
“I’m daring Mr. Ephson to come to the constituency to launch a proper opinion poll, and he’ll realise my popularity rating is far higher than even the incumbent MP, Rosemond Abrah because I am the only candidate who has touched base with the people.”
“According to Mr. Ephson, his opinion poll done over a stretch of five months indicates I’ll be defeated based on the fact that “elections are not won by huge billboards so Obuobia may have to wait till 2020. She will lose to the NPP’s Tina Mensah,” the statement pointed out.
Ms. Darko-Opoku contended that “I’m not a pollster, but the basics I know about polls show that it must have scientific data to back them. Where is Mr. Ephson’s statistics/data to buttress his claims? I’m not doubting his credentials, but such comment can easily be made by any ordinary person on the street.”
According to the statement, “For the records, my opponent’s billboards outnumber mine in the Weija-Gbawe constituency. Any doubting Thomas can make a trip to the constituency to do a count.
Mr Ephson has no idea what is happening in my constituency and how I’m running my campaign.”
“Is he (Ben Ephson) saying I have been sleeping all these years after mounting my billboards? Come again, Mr. Ephson! You should know better because spending a little time on the internet or scouring through newspapers, including your own Daily Dispatch, will give you a better indication that I’ve been conspicuous on the ground from the very day I lost the 2012 elections.”
“In case you are not aware, besides my interpersonal relationship with the constituents on a daily basis, I have embarked on several projects through the Obuobia Foundation, among others, to alleviate the plight of my constituents even though I’m not the MP,” the statement indicated.
By Melvin Tarlue