The Supreme Court of Ghana has overturned the Tamale High Court’s ruling that nullified the parliamentary election results for the Kpandai Constituency in the Northern Region.
This majority decision has effectively halted the Electoral Commission’s planned rerun election. The court reached its decision with a 4-1 majority, with Justice Gabriel Scott Pawmang, who presided as President of the Bench, dissenting.
The majority decision was led by Justices Yonny Kulendi, Amadu Tanko, Samuel Asiedu, and Henry Kwofie. The Court granted the application for certiorari filed by New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament Matthew Nyindam, who had challenged the High Court’s authority to nullify his election.
The full reasons for the ruling are expected to be released on February 6, 2026. The lawmaker argued that the Tamale High Court acted without jurisdiction because the parliamentary election petition filed by National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate Daniel Nsala Wakpal was outside the statutory 21-day period.
He contended that the Kpandai parliamentary results were initially gazetted on December 24, 2024, making the petition submitted on January 25, 2025, time-barred.
His legal team argued that any orders issued by the High Court, including the annulment of his election and the directive for a rerun, were therefore null and void, warranting intervention by the Supreme Court.
Lawyers for the NDC candidate Daniel Nsala Wakpal countered that the relevant Gazette was issued on January 6, 2025, covering all constituencies including Kpandai, and that the petition was filed well within the 21-day statutory period.
They also argued that Nyindam had relied on the January Gazette in earlier proceedings and could not now reverse his position without raising issues of estoppel and fairness.
The Electoral Commission (EC) had scheduled the rerun for December 31, 2025, following the High Court judgment but maintained that multiple Gazette notifications existed, reflecting different batches of constituency results.
The EC’s rerun schedule was put on hold pending the Supreme Court’s ruling.
The Supreme Court’s decision to quash the High Court judgment halts the Kpandai parliamentary election rerun, allowing Matthew Nyindam to retain his seat.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
