The Minority in Parliament has called for the immediate withdrawal of all administrative notices or actions suggesting that the Kpandai parliamentary seat is vacant.
This follows a Supreme Court decision that overturned an earlier High Court ruling, which sought to annul the 2024 election in the constituency.
In a statement welcoming the apex court’s ruling, the Minority stressed that all parliamentary and Electoral Commission records must now accurately reflect the legal position that Matthew Nyindam remains the duly elected Member of Parliament for Kpandai.
The Supreme Court, by a 4–1 majority decision, on Wednesday, January 28, quashed the judgment of the Tamale High Court which had annulled the Kpandai parliamentary election and ordered a rerun.
The apex court held that the election petition was filed outside the strict statutory timelines prescribed by law, thereby depriving the High Court of jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
According to the Minority, the ruling reaffirms the supremacy of the Constitution, the importance of due process, and the principle of electoral finality in Ghana’s democratic system.
“The effect of this ruling is that there will be no rerun in Kpandai and that Hon. Matthew Nyindam remains, in law and in fact, the duly elected Member of Parliament for the Kpandai constituency,” the statement said.
The Minority cautioned that no institution has the authority to “rewrite the rules after an election has been held and a winner duly declared and gazetted,” noting that any judicial or administrative action founded on a petition filed outside the legally mandated timeframe is null and void.
Beyond the immediate withdrawal of vacancy-related notices, the Minority is also urging Parliament, under the leadership of Speaker Alban S. K. Bagbin, to conduct an internal review of its procedures.
The aim, they said, is to prevent future situations where notifications of vacancy are issued while appeals or applications for stay are still pending before the courts.
They further called on all sides of the House to recommit to established parliamentary practice by respecting the hierarchy of courts and awaiting final judicial determinations before taking steps that could permanently affect parliamentary representation.
The Minority referenced past parliamentary precedents, including the Abodakpi, Sakande, Nyimakan and Quayson cases, as examples where restraint was exercised until all legal processes were fully exhausted.
They described the Supreme Court’s ruling as a landmark decision that safeguards democratic choice and restores the unequivocal mandate freely given by the people of Kpandai.
Read the full statement below
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com
