Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye and Nii Lante Bannerman
The case of assault against Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, a former Sports Minister and currently the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Odododiodioo in the Greater Accra Region, is expected to proceed on December 2.
Mr. Vanderpuye stands accused for allegedly assaulting then opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate for the Odododiodioo Constituency, Nii Lante Bannerman, in the run-up to the December 2016 general elections.
The case was struck out for want of prosecution at the Adjabeng District Magistrate Court, Accra, yesterday because the prosecutor had travelled without notice.
Later, some prosecutors said they were going to re-file the case and Mr. Bannerman, who is the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Premix Fuel Company, confirmed that the case had been re-activated.
He said yesterday after the brief proceedings that he would use due processes to ensure the MP faces the full rigours of the law.
“This is somebody who is fond of violence; somebody whose demeanour, speech and everything depict violence. And we need to cut him to size; we need to let him know that that is not how a civilized person lives within a civilized community,” Mr. Bannerman pointed out.
“I believe taking him through this and making the law take its course on him will let him mellow in some of his doings. I am not the only person he assaulted in 2016, he also assaulted the Ngleshie Assemblyman, Joseph Addo, right in front of the James Town police station officer; he also assaulted my youth organizer then, Walters Bruce Tagoe. He has assaulted many people and I don’t think that is the way to go; the law needs to take its course for somebody like that to be brought to book,” he added.
In November 2016, in the heat of the election, Nii Lante Bannerman accused Nii Lante Vanderpuye of punching him in the face two times.
The opponents who held rallies in the Odododiodioo Constituency on the same day had their supporters fighting each other.
According to Nii Lante Bannerman, he was accosted by his opponent the next day at James Town where he was assaulted by the then Sports Minister.
By Issah Mohammed