Supreme Court decides fate of Kpandai parliamentary seat today

The Supreme Court is today, Tuesday, December 16, expected to determine the future of the Kpandai parliamentary seat following the annulment of the 2024 election by the Tamale High Court.

This follows a legal battle arising from the 2024 general elections.

The application was filed by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Kpandai, Mathew Nyindam, who is asking the apex court to overturn a ruling by the Tamale High Court that nullified his election victory. The High Court had earlier upheld an election petition filed by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate, Daniel Nsala Wakpal, and subsequently annulled the December 7, 2024, parliamentary election in the constituency.

Mr. Nyindam argues that the High Court acted outside its jurisdiction in entertaining the petition and insists that the processes leading to the annulment were fundamentally flawed. In his application for judicial review, he is seeking an order to quash the High Court’s judgment, as well as all subsequent proceedings arising from what he describes as an invalid and incompetent election petition.

Following the High Court’s decision, the NPP moved swiftly to file an application for a stay of execution to prevent the Electoral Commission from acting on the ruling while the matter is pending before the Supreme Court. The party maintains that enforcing the annulment before the apex court pronounces on the matter would undermine due process and electoral justice.

Commenting on the development, the Deputy General Secretary of the NPP, Haruna Mohammed, said the party would respect the outcome of the Supreme Court proceedings and determine its next steps accordingly. Speaking in an interview on Citi News on Monday, December 15, he stated that there would be no further electoral action in the constituency until the court delivers a definitive ruling.

“For now, there is no election until we get a clear ruling from the court. What the Supreme Court decides will guide our next move,” he said.

Mr. Mohammed further indicated that a favourable ruling would mean Mr. Nyindam retains his seat as Member of Parliament, while an adverse decision would prompt the party to respond decisively within the confines of the law.

The Supreme Court’s decision is expected to bring clarity to the legal uncertainty surrounding the Kpandai constituency and set the tone for how similar electoral disputes are handled going forward.