The Tamale High Court’s order to invalidate the results of the parliamentary election for the Northern Region’s Kpandai Constituency was overruled by the Supreme Court by a majority vote of 4 to 1.
The top court ruled on Wednesday that the Tamale High Court lacked jurisdiction to consider the election petition submitted by the defeated National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate since it was filed after the legally mandated deadline.
The decision came after attorney Gary Nimako, Director of Legal Affairs for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), filed a judicial review appeal with the Supreme Court, contesting the validity of the High Court’s ruling.
The Supreme Court’s decision means that Kpandai’s scheduled parliamentary election rerun will not happen.
The ruling essentially confirms and reinstates Mathew Nyindam of the NPP as the legitimately elected Member of Parliament for the constituency.
The conflict started when the Tamale High Court ordered a rerun of the 2024 Kpandai parliamentary election after the losing NDC candidate filed a challenge.
The Electoral Commission moved to arrange a new election as a result of the High Court’s ruling.
The NPP, however, contested the decision in the Supreme Court, claiming that the High Court proceedings were unconstitutional because the election petition was filed after the 21-day statutory period permitted by electoral statutes.
The Supreme Court agreed with the NPP’s stance and determined that the High Court had acted without jurisdiction, rendering all subsequent orders—including the rerun directive—illegal.
The decision guarantees Mathew Nyindam’s standing as the constituency’s member of parliament and puts an end to the drawn-out legal dispute over the Kpandai parliamentary seat.
Source: newsthemegh.com