Former Minority Leader of Parliament and former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Samuel Arthur Odoi-Sykes, has died.
Mr Odoi-Sykes passed away on Monday, October 5, 2026, according to a statement issued by his family.
The former Member of Parliament for Ashiedu Keteke was also a lawyer and diplomat. He served as Ghana’s High Commissioner to Canada from 2001 to 2006 after being nominated by President John Agyekum Kufuor.
His parliamentary career began in the Third Republic. He was elected MP for Ashiedu Keteke in the 1979 elections on the ticket of the Popular Front Party and became Minority Leader in 1980, leading the largest opposition group in that Parliament until the legislature was abolished in 1981.
He later served as National Chairman of the NPP from 1998 to 2001, the period that ended with the party’s first presidential and parliamentary victory in December 2000.
Before politics, he worked as a teacher, then joined the Ministry of Information and entered Ghana’s Foreign Service in 1961. His postings included India, the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom. He served as First Secretary, Press Attaché, Minister-Counsellor and Deputy Ambassador to the Soviet Union, and as Deputy High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1972.
Mr Odoi-Sykes was a Barrister-at-Law. He was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple and later admitted to the Ghana Bar. Born in Accra in 1928, he was educated at Accra Academy, the University of Ghana, the University of London and Johns Hopkins University, where he received a diploma in American Foreign Policy.
In its statement, the family described him as a man of principled character, courage and firm leadership, with a lifelong commitment to public service and intellectual independence.
He is survived by his wife, Edith Amorkor Sykes, and four children: Cynthia Omaboe, Mavis Amoa, Vincent Sykes and Frank Sykes.
The family said further details of the funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.
