Ghana’s Supreme Court has overturned the Tamale High Court ruling that had annulled the parliamentary election results in the Kpandai Constituency, a decision that halts a planned rerun and restores the seat to the incumbent lawmaker.
In a 4–1 ruling delivered Wednesday on January 28th, the court sided with Matthew Nyindam of the governing New Patriotic Party, who challenged the Tamale High Court’s authority to void his election. Justice Gabriel Scott Pawmang, who presided over the panel, issued the lone dissent. The majority included Justices Yonny Kulendi, Amadu Tanko, Samuel Asiedu and Henry Kwofie.
The case centered on whether a petition filed by Daniel Nsala Wakpal, the opposition National Democratic Congress candidate, met the statutory deadline. Nyindam argued that the results had been gazetted on Dec. 24, 2024, making Wakpal’s Jan. 25, 2025 filing outside the 21-day limit. His lawyers said that any orders issued by the High Court including the annulment of his election and the directive for a rerun were therefore invalid.
Wakpal’s legal team countered that the relevant Gazette was published on Jan. 6, 2025, covering all constituencies including Kpandai, and insisted the petition was filed within the legal timeframe. They further argued that Nyindam had relied on the January Gazette in earlier proceedings and could not now reverse his position without raising questions of fairness and consistency.
The Electoral Commission, which had scheduled a rerun for Dec. 31, 2025, acknowledged that multiple Gazette notifications existed, reflecting different batches of constituency results. The commission suspended its plans pending the Supreme Court’s ruling.
By quashing the High Court judgment, the Supreme Court has effectively halted the rerun and confirmed Nyindam’s place in Parliament. He remains the representative of Kpandai, a constituency in Ghana’s Northern Region. The court is expected to release its full reasoning on Feb. 6, 2026.
