I was threatened to contest as an independent candidate

Independent Member of Parliament for Wulensi, Stanley Yaw Nandaya, has disclosed that he was pressured and even threatened by his constituents to contest the 2024 general election as an independent candidate.

Speaking on Point Blank, a segment of Eyewitness News on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, Mr. Nandaya, who contested in the primaries of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), but lost, revealed that a breakdown in party relations, coupled with strong grassroots support, compelled him to run outside the political party structure.

“The party had an issue with me,” he explained, “but the people who vote or are looking for a leader, have that power.”

While party officials made attempts to persuade him, Mr. Nandaya said he directed them to engage with community elders and youth leaders instead. However, those efforts backfired.

“After the primaries, I stayed away from the constituency for a while. My influence there was very minimal,” he recalled. “It was for me to ensure that the party would take steps to speak to the people. But unfortunately, those who were sent to engage them ended up worsening the situation. That infuriated the youth, and even my elders got angry, saying it was insulting to see such things happening.”

He criticised the handling of the situation by party emissaries, stating that effective conflict resolution requires competent negotiators.

“When the people who should deal with the matter do not know what to say or how to say it, it leads to chaos.”

Mr. Nandaya revealed that the pressure from his constituents reached a breaking point. “My people said if I do not contest, they may never allow me to contest again. At a point, people threatened me that if I did not contest, I should never step foot into the constituency again.”

He ultimately heeded the call and contested the election independently—an outcome he described as being driven more by the will of his people than by his personal ambition.