The Supreme Court has overturned a ruling by the Tamale High Court that annulled the 2024 parliamentary election in the Kpandai Constituency, effectively restoring Matthew Nyindam as the duly elected Member of Parliament.
The apex court, in a 4–1 majority decision, granted a certiorari application filed by Nyindam, a New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate, thereby cancelling plans for a rerun of the election.
Justices Amadu-Omoro Tanko, Yonny Kulendi, Samuel Kwame Adibu Asiedu, and Henry Kwoffie ruled in favour of the application, while Justice Gabriel Scott Pwamang, who presided over the panel, dissented. The decision brings to an end the legal uncertainty surrounding the Kpandai seat, which had followed the High Court’s earlier order for a fresh poll.
Nyindam had approached the Supreme Court after the Tamale High Court ordered a rerun of the election, arguing that the lower court acted without jurisdiction. His application centered on the timing of the Electoral Commission’s gazetting of the parliamentary results. Under Ghana’s electoral laws, election petitions must be filed within 21 days of the gazette notice, failing which the court lacks the authority to hear the case.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC), whose candidate Daniel Nsala Wakpal contested the election, had argued that the case was exceptional because the Electoral Commission issued two separate gazette notices—on December 24, 2024, and January 6, 2025. Despite this claim, the Supreme Court ruled that the petition was filed outside the allowable timeframe and upheld Nyindam’s position.
Reacting to the judgment, Nyindam thanked the justices, saying the ruling had protected the will of the people of Kpandai. “It is clear that some people were seeking to overturn the will of the people of Kpandai,” he said. Meanwhile, Majority Chief Whip and South Dayi MP Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor told reporters that the party would study the decision carefully before determining its next steps.
