BY Nadia Ntiamoah
A dramatic confrontation unfolded in Parliament on Thursday, November 27, 2025, after the Tamale High Court annulled the 2024 parliamentary results in the Kpandai Constituency.
The ruling sparked an immediate attempt by the NDC Majority to have the seat declared vacant.
But their push was firmly rejected after the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin, delivered a decisive legal interpretation that blocked any such move — at least for now.
The issue, which has deep political and legal roots, has stirred significant tension within the House, reflecting the wide numerical balance between the Majority and Minority. At the centre of the storm is Matthew Nyindam of the NPP, whose seat has become the latest battleground in Ghana’s highly competitive parliamentary politics.
Kpandai Election Controversy
The Kpandai parliamentary race in the 2024 general election was a fiercely contested one.
According to the Electoral Commission’s certified results: Matthew Nyindam (NPP) — 27,947 votes and Daniel Nsala Wakpal (NDC) — 24,213 votes, with the margin of victory: 3,734 votes.
Before the final declaration, tensions escalated when supporters of the NDC allegedly arrived at the Kpandai collation centre in a Mahindra pickup wearing party T-shirts and vandalised ballot boxes.
Their belief was that disrupting the process could prevent the collation, claiming that the Electoral Commission might not have the necessary pink sheets.
Amid security fears, the Electoral Commission moved the final collation to its Northern Regional office in Tamale. Importantly, all NDC agents had already signed the pink sheets across all 152 polling stations, affirming the validity of the results.
However, upon realising he had lost the election, the NDC candidate refused to appear at the Tamale collation center.
The Electoral Commission proceeded to officially declare Nyindam the winner.
The NDC later filed an election petition, citing clerical errors in 41 polling stations and raising concerns about the candidate’s absence during the regional collation.
During the hearing, the NDC’s principal witness testified that the total number of votes in dispute was roughly 500 — not enough to overturn a 3,734-vote margin even if all were awarded to the petitioner.
Despite this, the Tamale High Court nullified the entire election and ordered a full rerun, triggering immediate political and constitutional debate nationwide.
Majority Push: The Seat Must Be Declared Vacant Now
Once Parliament was formally notified of the High Court ruling, the NDC Majority Caucus moved swiftly. Led by Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, they argued that the seat became vacant the moment the court delivered its judgment.
They cited the precedent from the Assin North case involving James Gyakye Quayson, where the MP was barred from participating in parliamentary proceedings after a High Court annulment.
The Majority demanded an immediate suspension of Nyindam from all parliamentary activities, that the Speaker direct the Clerk to notify the Electoral Commission of a vacancy, that the Kpandai seat be officially declared unoccupied pending the rerun, and their stance reflected the Majority’s strategic interest in maintaining numerical advantage during the ongoing 2026 Budget debate.
But their motion met fierce resistance.
Minority Response: “Due Process Cannot Be Ignored”
Alexander Afenyo-Markin and senior NPP MPs countered sharply, stressing that the NDC’s interpretation was legally flawed and driven purely by partisan motivation.
The Minority cited the Court of Appeal Rules (C.I. 132), which provide: an automatic seven-day stay of execution for all appealable High Court decisions, a right of the affected party to file an appeal and a motion for stay of execution within the seven-day window
The Minority argued that until this period expired — or until the higher courts ruled on any motions filed — Matthew Nyindam remains the legitimate MP for Kpandai.
They accused the Majority of attempting to rush the process for political gain.
Speaker’s Intervention
As tensions heightened, the Speaker gave a detailed ruling grounded in constitutional and judicial precedent.
Bagbin cited: Rule 27(3) of the Court of Appeal Rules, Supreme Court authority from Mensah v. GCB (2005–2006), and the 2022 Court of Appeal decision in Clenam Construction Ltd v. Valcum Crest
His key conclusions:
1. The High Court ruling is automatically suspended for seven days.
This applies whether or not the affected party has filed anything yet.
2. Hon. Nyindam remains the MP during this period.
He can debate, vote, and fully represent his constituents.
3. Parliament cannot write to the Electoral Commission.
The seat cannot be declared vacant during the automatic stay period.
4. If the MP files an appeal or stay of execution application, the Speaker must await the outcome.
Thus extending Nyindam’s legitimacy until higher courts decide otherwise.
With this ruling, the Speaker dismissed the NDC’s attempt to force an immediate vacancy.
