NDC Chairmanship Race: Vanderpuye Breaks Silence on His Chances After Sammy Gyamfi Controversy

Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, an aspirant for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) national chairmanship, has expressed optimism about his chances of winning the party’s upcoming national executive election despite concerns that his recent comments about Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) Chief Executive Officer Sammy Gyamfi could affect his campaign.

Speaking to Citi News during a visit to the Okaikwei South Constituency on Sunday, October 25, Mr Vanderpuye reaffirmed his confidence in securing the position, insisting that he remained hopeful of emerging victorious in the race.

He also praised party members for maintaining peace throughout the ongoing constituency executive elections.

He expressed hope that any disputes arising from the electoral process would be settled amicably, allowing all contestants to put their differences aside and work together to strengthen the NDC ahead of the 2028 general elections.

Mr Vanderpuye disclosed that his visit to Okaikwei South formed part of his ongoing engagement with party members across constituencies.

He said his previous visits to Odododiodioo and Korley Klottey had also proceeded smoothly, describing the atmosphere within the party as cordial.

With the regional executive elections scheduled for November 14 and the national elections set for December 19, the former Member of Parliament maintained that he was well-positioned to win the chairmanship contest.

His confidence comes amid controversy surrounding comments he made during a Channel One TV discussion on August 20, when he criticised the manner in which Mr Gyamfi responded to Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin during the Government Accountability Series.

The dispute arose after Mr Gyamfi described Mr Afenyo-Markin as a noisemaker and accused him of undermining the office of the Minority Leader.

The exchange followed a disagreement over an alleged US$1.7 billion loss associated with GoldBod’s Domestic Gold Purchase Programme.

Although Mr Vanderpuye acknowledged Mr Gyamfi’s communication skills, he argued that a different approach would have been more appropriate when addressing the Minority Leader, particularly in a public setting.

He later apologized to Mr Gyamfi and the NDC, clarifying that his remarks were not intended to discredit the GoldBod chief executive or lend support to criticism directed at him.

However, the controversy has raised questions about the potential impact on his chairmanship campaign.

On Saturday, October 24, Mussa Dankwah, Executive Director of Global InfoAnalytics, expressed concern that the incident could have reduced Mr Vanderpuye’s prospects of winning the party’s national chairmanship election.

Source: https://www.citinewsroom.com/2026/10/nii-lante-vanderpuye-confident-of-winning-ndc-chairmanship-race/

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