Pollster Ben Ephson has warned the opposition New Patriotic Party will be humiliated in the 2012 general election if it does not solve the bickering within the party.

“If they continue blaming the media for their problems they will be worse off in 2012” he told Joy News’ Bernard Saibu on Tuesday.

His comments come amidst tension between the Greater Regional Chairman of the NPP Sammy Crabbe and his predecessor Jake Obetsebi Lamptey.

Both of them are gunning for the National Chairmanship position of the party and the usual accusations with its related denials have saturated the media landscape.

Crabbe is accusing Lamptey of engaging in a smear campaign citing the Tuesday, October 20, 2009 edition of the Chronicle Newspaper in which he (Crabbe) had been accused by an aide to Lamptey of bribing his way to the position.

The former Tourism minister in an interview with Joy News flatly denied the accusation, saying he does not engage in a campaign of mudslinging.

According to him, he has demanded the immediate retraction of the story from the newspaper.

This development, Ben Ephson believes is just one example of the factionalism deeply rooted in the party.

He said if the party continues to live in a state of denial without solving the inherent differences, it will pay dearly in the next general election.

“The first step is that they must look at themselves and decide that they love the party more than they love themselves,” he said.


Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana