Even When A Mosquito Bites Nana Addo They Accuse Me - Nii Lantey

Presidential Aide and National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate for the Odododiodio constituency, Nii Lantey Vanderpuije, has dismissed claims that he masterminded the attack on some leading members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in his constituency on Wednesday afternoon.

The NPP parliamentary candidate for Ablekuma South, Ursula Owusu and an aide to Nana Akufo-Addo, the party’s flagbearer, Abu Jinapor, were subjected to some severe physical assault during a tour to some registration centres in the Odododiodio Constituency by some heavily built assailants.

The incident was said to have occurred at a registration centre known as Tarzan in the constituency.

Ursula Owusu, who confirmed the incident in an interview with Auntie Afua Konadu on her "Wo Haw Ne Sen" programme on PeaceFM, said they had visited the constituency to canvass votes and encourage more eligible voters to go out and register, since they had been reports that the electorates were afraid to undergo the process because of harassment and other forms of intimidation they were facing.

She recounted that upon arrival at the centre, some macho men, without any provocation attacked them with broken bottles and stones, injuring her in the process.

The Presidential aide stands accused of being behind the attack.

But speaking in an interview on Citi Eye Witness News Nii Lantey Vanderpuije questioned the logic behind the allegation that those who attacked the two NPP members were NDC activists.

“I am surprised; I have been in my office since morning….how could they have determined that the people who attacked them are NDC members? But for the call from radio stations seeking to interview me, I had not heard anything. All these things are lies being put out there…my agents are doing whatever they have been asked to do by the Electoral Commission and violence is not part of their duties…,” he said.

To him, the NPP is simply intimidated by his presence and the mere sound of his name so much so that they tend to associate him with anything reprehensible that occurs in the constituency.

“Now even when a mosquito bites Nana Akufo Addo they will say it is Nii Lantey Vanderpuije. They are so afraid of that name that they attribute everything to me…they are doing everything possible to win Odododiodio but they find Nii Lantey too formidable an opponent…,” he added.

However, speaking on the same platform, Abu Jinapor insisted that Nii Lantey Vanderpuye was behind the attack due to statements he (Nii Lantey) had made in the past.

“This is a man who has a known record of violence…if you interrogate his public utterances, you will just know that he is the one who masterminded what happened to us…We had to make distant calls to our party members to come to our aid. No amount of intimidation will calm us down or make us lose our focus…we will continue on our quest to win….you cannot intimidate us…” Abu Jinapor said.

But in a sharp riposte, the NDCs Odododiodoo parliamentary candidate said: “I am not surprised….this boy was born a liar, he has grown to become a liar and will die a liar…I said I don’t know what happened and I insist that I didn’t send anyone…if they were assaulted then it is their own attitude that has caused it or perhaps they organized some people to beat them up and then turn around and accuse the NDC of doing that…,” he said.