How Justin Kodua calmed rising tension at vetting of Odododiodioo parliamentary aspirants

In the lead-up to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primaries in orphan constituencies on December 2, 2023, clashes erupted between supporters of two aspirants in the Odododiodioo Constituency in the Greater Accra Region.

The fracas happened between supporters of Nii Lantey Bannerman and Mannaf Sowah, the two aspirants vying for the available slot.

The vetting process, which occurred at the NPP's newly established Greater Accra Regional Office in Teshie on November 14, 2023, was intended to determine the party's representative for the upcoming elections.

According to a Citinewsroom.com report, supporters of the aspirants engaged in confrontations at the premises.

Even though the exact reasons behind the clashes remain unclear, Justin Kodua Frimpong, the General Secretary of the NPP, intervened to restore calm among the supporters.

Frimpong addressed the agitated crowd, emphasizing the party's commitment to maintaining peace throughout the candidate selection process.

He reminded the supporters of the successful and peaceful conduct of presidential primaries and urged them to avoid any disruptions during the parliamentary aspirants' vetting.

"We don't want any chaos here. We have been able to run presidential primaries which were very difficult, but at the end of the day, we saw it was very peaceful… So please let us not bring any problems here. If you misbehave, I will disqualify the two of them. We want peace," Frimpong declared.

He also warned that those who behaved disruptively could face legal consequences, stating, "Do you want a candidate or want an MP? We don't want any fighting here. If anyone misbehaves, the person will be arrested."

Following the intervention, the vetting process continued, culminating in a balloting session. Mannaf Sowah secured the first slot, while Nii Lantey Bannerman picked the second slot in the ballot order.

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