“Don’t turn polls into in-depth research.”- Mussa Dankwah advises wannabe party researchers

Nii Ayitey Brown 11:00 - 01 February 2026

Mussa Dankwah, Executive Director of research firm Global InfoAnalytics

Global InfoAnalytics Executive Director Mussa Dankwah has urged caution in interpreting political polls after the NPP’s 2026 presidential primary, saying research must go beyond raw data. His comments follow Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s decisive victory in the party’s nationwide delegate vote.

A leading political analyst has urged fellow researchers and commentators to draw careful lessons from the outcome of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) 2026 presidential primary, arguing that polling data must be interpreted with caution.

Mussa Dankwah, Executive Director of research firm Global InfoAnalytics, spoke on the election’s outcome in a social media post this week, reflecting on expectations before the vote and the actual results announced on January 31, 2026.

Dankwah was responding to projections by another analyst, Dr. Evans Duah, who had forecasted that none of the five leading aspirants would secure the necessary 50 % plus one vote threshold.

Instead, Duah had predicted former Assin Central MP Kennedy Ohene Agyepong would lead the tally based on his interpretation of data. Dr Evans Duah made his remarks on Channel One’s The Point of View on Wednesday, January 28.

When results were declared, former Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia emerged the clear winner, polling 56.48 % of valid votes — surpassing expectations and securing the NPP flagbearer position for the 2028 presidential election.

Kennedy Agyepong placed second with 23.76 % of the vote.Dankwah acknowledged that Global InfoAnalytics’ own forecasts were broadly in line with the overall trend, noting Bawumia’s final tally was within the margin of error of their projections.

He also highlighted the stronger-than-expected performance of Dr. Bryan Acheampong, whose support among undecided delegates grew significantly in the final weeks before the vote.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, February 1, Mussa Dankwah stated that Bawumia’s performance closely aligned with Global InfoAnalytics’ forecasts, missing their projection by just 0.5 percent which was well within the margin of error.

He also acknowledged the fact that Kennedy Agyapong underperformed by 4.5 percent, putting him outside the forecasted range.

In his critique, Dankwah emphasised the difference between pollsters and researchers, warning that “polling data is not a finished product” but a tool that must be paired with deeper analysis to understand voter behaviour and shifting sentiments.

"Pollsters provide the lead and researchers go in to probe why," he said, urging more nuanced interpretation among political communicators.

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