The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is currently in the process of selecting a parliamentary candidate for the Odododiodio constituency, as the incumbent MP, Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, is not running for re-election.
As of now, three candidates have submitted their nominations to compete for the parliamentary seat, with the election scheduled for October 31, 2023. Nii Adjebu Lamptey, the Chairman of the NDC Elections Committee in the Odododiodio Constituency, has advised party supporters to be cautious in their statements during the campaign period.
Speaking to Citi News at the NDC constituency office, Mr. Lamptey advised, “NDC members and supporters, what we are doing now is internal competition, and we pray that all of them will comport themselves so that we can have a peaceful election. The filing of nominations has been very peaceful, and we expect that it will continue like that. On Friday there will be vetting at the regional party office, and on October 31, the elections will come on as planned.”
Nii Lantey Vanderpuye has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Odododiodio constituency since 2013. He was initially elected as an MP during the 2012 elections, where he competed against Victor Okaikoi from the New Patriotic Party. Vanderpuye was highly confident in his chances of victory and famously stated in November 2012 that he would concede the seat to Okaikoi if he received less than 65% of the vote.
Ultimately, Vanderpuye secured a slightly smaller margin of victory than anticipated, receiving 45,967 votes (63%), while Okaikoi obtained 26,269 votes (36%), and Emmanuel Odoi of the Convention People’s Party received 745 votes (1%).
In December 2016, he was re-elected as the Member of Parliament for the Odododiodio Constituency, obtaining 36,606 votes, representing 57.04% of the vote, against his closest rival from the New Patriotic Party, who garnered 26,671 votes, representing 41.56%.