Political scientist and senior lecturer at the Kumasi Technical University (KsTU), Dr. Samuel Afriyie, has advised presidential hopefuls of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to focus on strategy and hard work rather than relying on prophecies or questionable data ahead of the party’s primaries.
Speaking on ABC in the Morning, Dr. Afriyie said public reactions to polls and prophecies largely depend on individual belief systems.
“It depends on what you believe in,” he noted. “Some people believe in prophecies, others do not. Some believe in realities.”
According to him, those who subscribe to prophecies tend to accept them because they believe there is evidence backing such claims. From a Christian standpoint, he explained, prophecies are often seen as the word of God or divine revelations given to men of God for people to work towards.
However, Dr. Afriyie stressed that what cuts across all belief systems is data.
“What Convinces most people that transcends to all beliefs is the data that is available’,” he said, adding that if data is genuine, it can be useful in guiding decisions.
Despite this, he warned about the difficulty in authenticating prophecies, especially when they intersect with politics.
“Sometimes you cannot determine whether what is being said is truly from God or from personal intuition,” he observed. “Some men of God can have preview to data and prophecy base on data, on his feeling or his political inclination.”
He described prophecy as a belief that is inherently difficult to verify, noting that it often creates confusion when injected into political contests.
Dr. Afriyie also cautioned against an overreliance on opinion polls, explaining that social research deals with human behaviour, which is not static.
“Social research deals with people, and people tend to change,” he said. “You may conduct a research today, and no matter how carefully you account for margins of error, opinions can change significantly within a short period.”
In light of these uncertainties, he urged politicians to stay grounded and focus on their own preparations.
“Politicians should work hard, put their strategies in place, and follow them,” he advised. “ if you base on some of these prophecies and some of the data that are not genuine, you will find yourself in the wrong sight of your life.”
The comments come as the NPP prepares for its presidential primaries, amid increasing public discourse around opinion polls, predictions, and religious prophecies surrounding the outcome of the race.
