Former Sports Minister, Nii Lante Vanderpuye
Odododiodio MP, Nii Lante Vanderpuye

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Odododiodoo, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, has expressed his disappointment with the decision taken by the Functional Executive Committee (FEC) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to disqualify Michael Nii Yarboi Annan.

Vanderpuye believes that Annan is the most viable candidate capable of retaining the Odododiodoo seat for the NDC in the upcoming 2024 polls.

The NDC in a report issued on Monday, December 4, clarified that findings made by the special committee established by its FEC warranted the disqualification of Mr Annan, from contesting the party’s parliamentary primary in the Odododiodoo Constituency.

According to the party, considering the evidence presented, the special committee was unable to endorse Mr Annan’s qualification to contest the parliamentary primaries in the Odododiodoo constituency based on Article 41(8)(b) of the NDC Constitution, which provides that, “a member must be an active member of the party at the constituency level for the four years immediately preceding the date of filing nominations.”

Speaking in an interview on Citi news Monday, Mr Vanderpuye justified his support for Mr Annan, asserting that it aligns with the party’s interests in retaining the Odododiodoo seat.

“The decision to have Yarboi contest is for only one thing, to retain the seat and to make John Mahama win with a wide margin in the constituency. Because to me, from the experiences I have and from what I know from Odododiodoo, he (Michael Annan) is the only one who can retain the seat for us,” he noted.