The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has reacted to the High Court’s declaration that the 2024 Parliamentary election in the Kpandai constituency is invalid.

Addressing the House on Thursday, November 27, Bagbin indicated that it is inappropriate for the seat in the area to be declared vacant as per the Court of Appeal Rules.

According to him, the Court of Appeal Rules 1997 (CI 19), as amended by CI 132, rule 27(3), states: “there shall be a stay of execution of the judgment or decision appealed against for a period of seven days immediately following the giving of notice of the judgment or decision.”

As such, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Matthew Nyindam, can only step aside after a mandatory seven-day stay of execution in all appealable High Court rulings.

The Speaker of Parliament, therefore, ruled that, until December 1, Matthew Nyindam will still hold his position as the MP for the Kpandai constituency.

“In this instance, the ruling of the High Court was delivered on the 24th of November 2025. The statutory 7-day stay therefore remains in force until 1st December 2025. During this period, the High Court ruling cannot form the basis for the Speaker to instruct the Clerk to notify the Electoral Commission that the Kpandai seat is vacant,” he added.

On Monday, November 24, the Tamale High Court declared the Kpandai parliamentary election conducted in 2024 invalid. As a result, His Lordship Emmanuel Brew Plange has directed the Electoral Commission (EC) to conduct a new poll in the constituency within 30 days.

Earlier this year, the former Member of Parliament (MP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate for Kpandai, Daniel Nsala Wakpal, submitted a petition to the Tamale High Court challenging the results of the 2024 parliamentary election in the constituency.

According to the petitioner, the Kpandai parliamentary election was marred by irregularities in the voting and collation processes. He argued that Pink Sheets from many polling stations were not accurate or consistent.

He stated, “The parliamentary election held in the Kpandai constituency on 7th December 2024 was not conducted in compliance with Regulations 39 of the Public Elections Regulations, 2020 (CI 127) and the principles laid down by Regulations 39, and that the said non-compliance affected the results of the elections.

“The declaration and publication of the parliamentary election results held in the Kpandai constituency on 7th December 2024 were not made in compliance with Regulations 43 of the Public Elections Regulations, 2020 (CI 127) and the principles laid down by Regulations 43, and that the said non-compliance affected the entire results of the parliamentary elections in the Kpandai constituency.”

This will be the second time the country will witness a rerun of elections after the 2024 general polls. Ablekuma North had remained the only constituency in Ghana without a sitting MP due to unresolved disagreements over the outcome of the parliamentary vote.

In view of this, the Electoral Commission on Friday, July 11, held a rerun election in 19 polling stations in Ablekuma North to provide constituents with a representative. Ewurabena Aubynn polled 34,090 votes to beat the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) Akua Afriyie, who secured 33,881 votes.

On December 10, 2024, three days after the national polls, the EC declared Ewurabena Aubynn of the NDC the winner of the Ablekuma North parliamentary seat, defeating the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Nana Akua Owusu Afriyieh.

However, the EC later revoked the announcement, revealing that results from 62 of the 281 polling stations had not been included in the initial collation.

Efforts to restart the collation in January 2025 were disrupted by multiple challenges. These included interruptions due to the submission of unverified Pink Sheets and a violent intrusion at the collation centre that heightened security concerns.

After extensive deliberations, the Electoral Commission in July announced that it would hold a rerun election because the 19 scanned polling station results used for the collation, though approved by agents of both political parties, were not verified by the presiding officers responsible for those polling stations.

The EC arrived at this decision after meeting with representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Tuesday, July 1.

Violence mars Ablekuma North rerun election

At the Odorkor Methodist 1 polling station in the Ablekuma North constituency, some individuals engaged in a fisticuff with police personnel. Also, a JoyNews journalist was slapped by an unknown individual.

Former Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development and Member of Parliament for Ewutu Senya East Constituency, Hawa Koomson, was also assaulted by a group of men. A journalist with GH One Television, Banahene Agyekum, was also slapped by a police officer.

The Ghana Police Service has interdicted one of its officers who was caught on camera slapping a journalist with GH One Television, Banahene Agyekum, during the rerun election at Ablekuma North.

In line with internal disciplinary procedures, he has been referred to the Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSB) for investigation.

The officer concerned has been withdrawn from the ongoing election duty at Ablekuma North. The police have assured the public that a thorough investigation will be conducted into the matter, and further updates will be communicated.

It is unknown what exactly transpired between the reporter and a group of police officers that led to him being slapped. The police officer's action has been condemned by all, including the mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, who witnessed the unfortunate incident.

Deputy Minister for Government Communications, Shamima Muslim, in reaction to the said incident, commended the police for its swift action to reprimand its officer for such unlawful acts and condemned the recent attacks against civilians and journalists during the Ablekuma North election rerun.

"What we are happy about is the swift action that the Ghana Police itself has taken in interdicting the officer in question. It is completely unwarranted. Government itself takes a very serious stance, especially on security agencies meting out unwarranted attacks to civilians under any circumstances," she added.

President of the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA), Albert Kwabena Dwumfuor, also condemned the attack on journalists. Due to the chaos that erupted, Inspector General of Police Christian Tetteh Yohuno visited some polling stations in the constituency.

The Minority in Parliament has also condemned the violence that took place during the just-ended Ablekuma North rerun election, accusing members of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) of instigating violent activities.

In a statement signed by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the caucus said, "The most disturbing aspect of today’s violence is not just the brutality itself, but the deliberate endorsement and celebration of these attacks by senior government officials."

The Minority registered its displeasure with the operation of the Ghana Police Service at the polling stations.

"The Ghana Police Service’s response raises serious questions about their preparedness and commitment to protecting our electoral process. Security personnel were overwhelmed by the perpetrators, failing to prevent these attacks on political figures, party agents, and journalists. More concerning are allegations surrounding Chief Superintendent Lumor Frederick Senanu and his potential role in facilitating these disruptions."

The caucus stressed the need for increased protection for voters, electoral officers, journalists, and candidates. It also called on the international community, civil society, and media to monitor developments closely.