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The defeated New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary aspirant in the Klottey Korle constituency, Valentino Nii Noi Nortey has officially announced that he will contest the seat as an independent candidate in the November polls.

At a press conference in Accra (Osu Alata) Wednesday morning to announce his decision to his supporters – the NPP aspirant claimed that he is not a favorite of his party’s big wigs so therefore must leave to serve the masses who are yelling for him to represent them in parliament.

“I may not be a lawyer, I may not belong to the upper class, I may not be the favorite of the big wigs,” he alleged. 

Adding that - “My bid to be the Parliamentary Candidate was frustrated from day one because I was deemed not to be the favorite of the “big wigs”. Even when it was clear, I had the support of the masses and the voiceless, all attempts were made to ‘steal’ from us what rightly belong to us.”

Nii Noi however passionately voiced his decision to contest the Klottey Korle constituency seat – "I am Nii Noi Nortey, a young boy with my people at heart and who believe strongly that it is God who directs our path. I have consulted widely, I have prayed to my God and spoken to my family and extensively considered the opinion of the kingmakers, the electorates." 

"I have arrived at the decision to resonate with the masses and declare that, I Valentino Nii Noi Nortey, shall contest as parliamentary candidate in the 2016 parliamentary elections, as the face of hope to the youth, women, and elderly and to the people who have believed in the streetism campaign," he announced.

Read the full statement read by Nii Noi:

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press,

Thanks for accepting my invitation and I am hopeful our message of HOPE will be delivered to all Ghanaians, especially, constituents of Klottey Korle.

My mission this morning is to first of all, use this opportunity to thank everyone who supported me during my difficult moments when I wanted to be the Parliamentary Candidate of the New Patriotic Party in this very constituency. The enormous support from Patriots around the country and social media has been overwhelming, and I say, God bless everyone who supported me.

My commitment to the New Patriotic Party is evident. Ladies & Gentlemen, I picked this constituency up, with the support of the current Executives, Electoral Area Coordinators and Polling Station executives and we began a journey to restore hope and rekindle the spirit that saw the party win in the 2000 and 2004 parliamentary elections. I invested all my resources because I believed I belonged to a group that gave equal opportunity to all, irrespective of your tribe, educational background or societal status.

My bid to be the Parliamentary Candidate was frustrated from day one because I was deemed not to be the favorite of the “big wigs”. Even when it was clear, I had the support of the masses and the voiceless, all attempts were made to ‘steal’ from us what rightly belong to us.

Ladies & Gentlemen, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NPP, approved 13th June 2015 as date for the parliamentary elections. Our election was stalled because some obscure faces being sponsored by my fellow aspirants, raised issues against my candidature but despite all these, I was cleared by the National Appeals Committee and approved by the NEC to contest.

My opponents pressed on to use their ‘playground’ i.e. the courts to frustrate the process but thanks to my legal team and that of the party then, we were successful. Our election had to be postponed three times all because someone somewhere felt Nii Noi Nortey will win when there is an equal playing field.

The Nomination form for the Parliamentary Primaries of 2015 contained the regulations for the elections. On page 13 of the document, it reads, “The General Secretary in consultation with the Regional Party may vary the election dates in certain constituencies as deemed necessary”. This provision obviously was to cater for unplanned eventualities and gave the necessary authorization for the conduct of these elections.

Friends of the media, these regulations were approved by the National Council of the party. The General Secretary, after postponing the elections three times due to appeals and court issues, in consultation with the then acting Greater Accra Regional Chairman who is the current substantive first vice chairman, Alfred Boye, fixed 2nd August 2015 and they communicated same to the Constituency Chairperson, Chairman of the Constituency Elections Committee who then informed all aspirants about it.

In fact on Friday 31st July, 2015, Phillip Addison admitted on Citi FM, a local radio station, to seeing the press release from the National Party but decided to boycott because he was not consulted. It is worthy to note that the machinations to kick me out from the contest by my opponents delayed and frustrated our constituency for 3 months, denying us of selecting our candidate.

Commentaries such as what my opponents were crying over should have come from Nii Noi Nortey, whose campaign had been frustrated by his fellow aspirants. They deployed all means within their plan to frustrate our constituency for almost 3 months.

I won the duly conducted election by the Electoral Commission with supervision from the Regional Party on 2nd August despite the introduction of thuggery by fellow aspirants, who at a point had to seize electoral materials from the electoral officers present. In all of these, I never complained and kept on with the belief that the NPP gave equal opportunity to all.

Ladies & Gentlemen, just when I was about launching my campaign to unseat the NDC in the constituency, I got wind of some petitions to NEC by Philip Addison and Nii Adjei Tawiah. I was convinced the party will allow the voice of the masses to hold.

A court action was brought against the party and to my surprise, the current managers of the party failed to attend to the issues raised. In effect, there was a default judgment because the Party failed to file any Statement of Defense. The judgment was obtained the same day I was joined to the action. Realizing that as a Party, my lawyers will apply to have the judgment set aside, Lawyers for plaintiffs, quickly discontinued the case against the Party. There was no relief against me, so with the action against the Party gone, there was nothing to try and I was therefore not heard in Court. The issue as to whether there should be a rerun was never tried on the merits.

Prior to 27th February 2016, after several attempts by the managers of the party to get me to contest, we agreed on certain modalities for the conduct of what they thought will settle matters. The election was to start at8AM but it began at 7AM instead. There was no accreditation for delegates and my agent recorded a total of 715 votes, contrary to the figures being tossed around. It is for these reasons that my agents refused to sign.

Well, ‘luckily’ for the “big wigs”, Nii Noi is not a lawyer to employ gymnastics to frustrate the process. I am not a favorite to have my way. What I have is the mass appeal and the desire to right wrongs in my constituency.


In the past week, many including Youth Groups, Opinion leaders and most importantly the women who sell in the markets of Adabraka, Osu, Asylum, Tudu, etc. have called on me to contest the 2016 Parliamentary elections with or without a political party and I am immensely encouraged by the show of support.

I may not be a lawyer

I may not belong to the upper class

I may not be the favorite of the “big wigs”

I am Nii Noi Nortey, a young boy with my people at heart and who believe strongly that it is God who directs our path. I have consulted widely, I have prayed to my God and spoken to my family and extensively considered the opinion of the kingmakers, the electorates.

I have arrived at the decision to resonate with the masses and declare that, I VALENTINO NII NOI NORTEY, SHALL CONTEST AS PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATE IN THE 2016 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS, AS THE FACE OF HOPE TO THE YOUTH, WOMEN, and ELDERLY AND TO THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BELIEVED IN THE STREETISM CAMPAIGN.

I ask for strength from above and I believe this is the doing of the Lord and his plans for me and Klottey Korle.

While others may have the big men on their side, I have the foot soldiers. As our abortive court petition showed, elections are won on the ground, at the polling stations, not in court.

I am of, by and for Klottey Korle. Together, we shall prevail. No artificial transplant can feel the pain of our people as genuinely as one of our own!

I come into this race with a heart filled with passion to see our constituency develop. A heart to see our youth gain employment. A heart to see Klottey Korle as the engine of Ghana.

As Addison said, he has the blessings and backing of NANA ADDO, I Nii Noi, have the blessings and unflinching backing of the grassroots. My primary objective of entering this race, is to give the people of Klottey Korle, especially, the youth, a sense of belonging and hope and not hopelessness, to help them find jobs and enable them create their own businesses.

"In this race, men will shall not be God's will, the will of God shall prevail over evil."

I thank you all for coming. Stay blessed.