The flagbearer for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, is leading all seven potential National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidates in a new survey conducted ahead of the 2028 general elections.
The survey was conducted by Africa Policy Lens from July 27 to August 7, 2026. It covered 16,963 voters across all 276 constituencies through face-to-face interviews.
Dr Bawumia secured between 45.7% and 49.9% across the seven hypothetical head-to-head contests. Among the NDC’s potential candidates, the closest race was against Asiedu Nketiah, who recorded 42.4% against Bawumia’s 45.8%.
He also led Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson by 45.7% to 42.8%, while Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu trailed with 41.5% against Dr Bawumia’s 45.9%.
Meanwhile, the former Vice President held a stronger advantage against Chief of Staff Dr Julius Debrah, polling 48.4% compared with 37.9%. He similarly led Vice President Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang by 47.4% to 40.2%.
His widest margin among the matchups was against Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku, with 49.8% compared with 33.9%.
In each of the seven hypothetical contests, the survey found that Dr Bawumia would carry between 9 and 11 of the 16 regions.
Beyond candidate preferences, the survey also examined what voters considered the most important qualities in Ghana’s next president.
Honesty and integrity ranked highest among respondents. They also cited a candidate’s ability to create jobs and competence in managing the economy as major qualities.
The researchers said the findings indicate that ethical leadership and economic management will be key variables in the 2028 election.
They stressed, however, that the results only represent voter sentiment during the survey period and should not be treated as a forecast of the 2028 election.