?NDC To Field Vanderpuye As NPP Treads Cautiously!

Ghana?s two leading political parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) are in a ?tango? over the choice of a Parliamentary Candidate as the date for the Odododiodoo bye-election is fast approaching.

Following the death of the MP for the area, Hon. Mankata, deep throat NDC sources, after a constituency meeting last Sunday, told this paper that the party was planning to present Nii Lante Vanderpuyee as the most likely person to win the seat for the NDC.

To this end, the NDC has reportedly started some lobbying in legal circles, to quickly ?purge? Mr. Vanderpuye of the court case currently dangling around his neck, forbidding him from contesting the election.

The NPP on the other hand is faced with a looming divided front and has started wide consultations with the electorate over the choice of the best candidate.

Reports from the constituency say, Nibi Ayibonte, one time NPP MP for the area, was planning a come back. Meanwhile, one Mr. Hammond, a Deputy Minister has also been widely tipped by some leading NPP members as the best candidate. Mr. Lord Commey, National Organiser of the NPP, told this paper that his party?s choice of a candidate would most probably be based on consensus and not by the conventional method of primaries.

?We are treading cautiously, that is why we plan to go by consensus. First of all, we are trying to get all those who are interested to sit down, assess themselves, go through the motions, so that they would be able to pick one person who at the end of the day, would be able to win the seat for the party. That is what we are doing?, Lord Commey said, adding that the NPP however respects its constitutional regulations on the selection of candidates. Lord Commey, said looking at the situation on the ground strategically, selection through primaries would not be the best as it may end up dividing rather than uniting the party.

He continued that the Odododiodoo constituency has a highly sophisticated and discerning electorate, thus no political party can claim ownership of the constituency as its stronghold.

Lord Commey blamed the party?s loss of the 2004 election in the constituency on internal wranglings emanating from divisions involving three factions. He said the NPP would win back the seat if the party was able to unite all the factions.

Lord Commey described the late MP as a faithful and dedicated member of the NPP tradition who only left due to a slight misunderstanding over the selection of a parliamentary candidate.