Former Odododiodioo Member of Parliament and National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Chairman aspirant, Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, has called for the establishment of a dedicated welfare system to support former party officials, cadres and other members after leaving public office.

He said the absence of an institutionalised welfare and exit structure was leaving some former MPs, District Chief Executives (DCEs) and other party stalwarts struggling after their terms in office.

Speaking during an engagement with senior NDC cadres in Wa, Mr Vanderpuye said the party needed to restore the sense of solidarity that characterised its formative years.

“NDC was born as a family. In 1992, when we founded the party, at the back of our T-shirts under the umbrella, we had 'One Family'. If we are a family, then that family must care for members of the family. How can we, after this number of years, have a party that does not care for one another, that does not care for its members?” he asked.

Call for welfare desk

Mr Vanderpuye, who previously served as Minister for Youth and Sports and National Coordinator of the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP), said political appointees and elected representatives often face significant financial and social difficulties after leaving office.

He said former officials could struggle to secure employment or rebuild their lives once their tenure ended.

“As soon as you serve in a political position, when you exit, you become a pest. Nobody wants to come near you; nobody wants to offer you employment. If somebody has served as DCE and after four years he is no more, if the party does not care for him, how is he going to build his life?” he asked.

He also cited the financial pressures faced by MPs, saying many leave Parliament with substantial debts after using their resources to support constituents.

“We don’t get anything out of Parliament. Daily, any money that comes to you goes back to the constituency: school fees, hospital bills, rent. Sometimes people talk about ex-gratia; by the time you get out of Parliament, that so-called ex-gratia bank has already cleared it. Many people leave Parliament in debt. I had a colleague—he was a Deputy Minister; he lost his seat, and it got to a time when he could not even buy his medication. The bank took away his car,” he recounted.

Mr Vanderpuye proposed the creation of a welfare desk at the NDC National Secretariat to serve former MPs, DCEs, women organisers and other party officials.

“Why can’t we have a desk at the national level that is responsible for the welfare of party members? A desk where, as a former DCE, you know who to talk to; as a former MP, you know who to talk to; as a former women organiser, you know who to talk to?”

He also complained about what he described as the marginalisation of former officials, citing his own experience after leaving Parliament.

“Tomorrow when you leave your position, you become irrelevant. For the past one and a half years, I have never been invited to any meeting in Odododiodioo. When there is a funeral, they call for contributions, but they will never call you for any meeting,” he stated.

Changes to party organisation

Mr Vanderpuye also called for a separation of policy-focused party conferences from elective congresses to allow delegates more time to deliberate on the NDC’s constitution, policies and organisational development.

He cited previous constitutional review efforts, including the process in Sekondi led by Goosie Tanoh, and recommendations from party stalwarts such as Dr Benjamin Kumbour, which he said had received insufficient attention because of the focus on elections.

“I am looking at a situation whereby we will separate our conferences from our congresses so that we can have time to look at issues, look at the constitution, look at policies, and look at what we will do that will improve the party. Then we can have a time when we are only going to do elections,” he maintained.

He also raised concerns about the management of voter registers during party primaries, warning against loopholes that could allow non-party members to enter internal party registers.

Organisers of the engagement said involving senior cadres was important for drawing on their experience, preserving party traditions and strengthening grassroots mobilisation.

Mr Vanderpuye said his campaign for the NDC chairmanship was focused on rebuilding the party’s structures and restoring support for its members.

“Organisation decides everything, but organisation cannot survive when you have not built structures that will sustain it. We must rebuild that spirit. That is what will help us retain power,” he declared.