Pollster and Managing Editor of the Daily Dispatch Newspaper, Ben Ephson has advised the many flagbearer aspirants seeking to lead the NDC in the 2020 elections, to merge against former president John Mahama.

This, in his view, is the only way they can minimise the margin of what he describes as an obvious win for Mr Mahama.

“I think if they consolidate, like four or five come together and say ‘we are backing one person against Mahama’ it will be an interesting race.

“Because it will mean all the people who will be voting for the four or five do not like Mahama...it’ll make it interesting and I think Mahama will win,” he added.

Mr Mahama is hoping to redeem his party after a shocking defeat in 2016

So far, at least 11 people including the former president have registered their interest in contesting for the party’s flagbearership race.

They are Nadowli-Kaleo, Member of Parliament; Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, former university professor; Joshua Alabi, former Trade Minister; Ekwow Spio-Garbrah and former CEO of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA); Sylvester Mensah.

Related: NDC flagbearership race: 94 MPs endorse JM - Apaak

The rest are, former Deputy Finance Minister and MP for Cape Coast South, Kweku Ricketts Hagan; returnee Goosie Tanoh, businessman, Nurudeen Iddrisu, Legal practitioner, Elikplim Agbemava, self-styled electrician, Stephen Atubiga and former Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly boss, Kojo Bonsu.

All these men, who are already touring parts of the country and campaigning, are hoping to pick nomination forms when the party opens nominations later in the year.

But Mr Ephson is not confident about some of the aspirants.

He believes most of them are simply in the race to enrich their CVs and may not necessarily have the desire to win as badly as Mr Mahama does.

“They may put on their CV ‘I attempted to contest the NDC flagbearership’, some of the names are just there to make themselves feel important.”

Mr Ephson, however, doubts if all the aspirants will be on the ballot paper on the day of voting, he expects some to drop out.