The Member of Parliament for the Odododiodio constituency, Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, says he is bowing out of Parliament because of frustration.
The Odododiodio lawmaker, speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Citi FM on Thursday, explained that MPs face numerous challenges in the execution of their duties, and political parties do not provide them with any form of protection, leading to frustration.
“I am leaving Parliament because I am frustrated; the [political] parties really do not protect the people they have [in Parliament]. So, you are subjected to so much pressure that, after a time, you lose interest because you don’t get the sort of environment to be able to harmonize the talents and competence you have.”
He lamented that this kind of frustration happens to many MPs from both sides of the House, leading to disturbing attrition rates in the House.
He said Parliament is fast losing members who make valuable contributions to the House.
“The attrition rate in Parliament is too high, and as such, people do not get the sort of experience they require to advance the work of Parliament. One of the gentlemen I admire so much since I entered that House in 2013 was Dr. Osei Assibey. When I look at the work he does and how he comes out to analyze documents, I can see someone who spent time doing research to be able to ask the necessary questions. The late Dr. Akoto Osei was another when it came to drafting bills.”
“Bagbin is succeeding as a Speaker because of the lengthy experience he has had as a member of parliament. If you look at his speakership, you will see some quality that is better than what we saw of other speakers who were not members of parliament, and it is clear for us to see,” Nii Lante Vanderpuye further told Nathan Quao.
Nii Lante Vanderpuye has been the MP for the constituency since 2013.
He was elected as MP during the 2012 elections, where he faced off against Victor Okaikoi of the New Patriotic Party. Vanderpuye was quite confident about his chances of winning, famously stating in November 2012 that if he got less than 65% of the vote, he would concede the seat to Okaikoi.
NDC may lose Odododiodio seat if current issues are not resolved properly – Ade Coker
Former Greater Accra Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Joseph Ade Coker, says the party risks losing the Odododiodio seat if the issues surrounding the party’s parliamentary primary in the constituency are not addressed appropriately.
The party has suspended all processes related to the parliamentary primary in the Odododiodio Constituency following a violent incident at the Greater Accra Regional office during the vetting of aspirants for the constituency.
“If they don’t handle it well, we will lose that seat, and people must be up and doing because people who have gone to contest in that constituency don’t deserve to be there because that is not their constituency. There is a former NPP person who has been brought in, and he is contesting contrary to the party’s constitution, demanding that he should have served the party within a timeframe before contesting. Unfortunately, there is another person who is a former MP for Amasaman who should have gone to Amasaman to ensure that they win the seat again, yet he is contesting at Odododiodio,” Mr. Ade Coker added in an interview on Face to Face on Citi TV.
