NPP applauds Supreme Court for halting Kpandai Parliamentary rerun
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to put the planned parliamentary rerun in the Kpandai Constituency on hold, describing the move as a victory for due process and judicial prudence.
The rerun, which had been scheduled for December 30, was suspended after the Supreme Court granted an application filed by former NPP Member of Parliament for the area, Matthew Nyindam.
Nyindam is challenging the High Court’s decision that annulled the results of the 2024 parliamentary election in the constituency.
The apex court has adjourned the substantive matter to January 13, 2026, effectively freezing all electoral processes in Kpandai until the legal questions surrounding the seat are conclusively determined.
Speaking to journalists after proceedings on Tuesday, December 16, private legal practitioner and former Minister of Information, Fati Abubakar, who is part of Nyindam’s legal team, praised the court for granting the suspension.
She explained that the application for suspension was deliberately made to prevent any electoral action that could undermine the authority of the court while the core legal issues remain unresolved.
“The applicant specifically prayed for the suspension of the process pending the hearing of the substantive matter, and that request was clearly stated in the supplementary affidavit before the court. We are grateful that the court has granted that relief,” she said.
Ms Abubakar stressed that proceeding with a rerun before the final determination of the case could compromise the integrity of the judicial process.
“In the interest of justice, where a legal matter is still pending and has not reached finality, no steps should be taken that could force the hand of the court or render its eventual decision meaningless,” she added.
As part of procedural directions, the Supreme Court also granted leave for substituted service to enable the applicant to properly serve court processes on the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for Kpandai, Daniel Nsala Wakpal, who is listed as the first interested party in the case.
The court ordered that service be effected through multiple approved channels to ensure proper notification.
Ms Abubakar expressed confidence in the legal team’s readiness to argue the substantive case when hearings resume in the new year.
The suspension means that the Kpandai parliamentary seat will remain vacant until the Supreme Court rules on whether the original 2024 election should stand or whether a fresh election must be conducted.
Nyindam’s application before the Supreme Court seeks to quash the High Court’s judgement ordering the rerun, arguing that the High Court wrongly assumed jurisdiction over the election petition filed by Mr Wakpal.
He maintains that the petition was fundamentally defective from the outset and that all proceedings flowing from it should be set aside.
According to the former MP, the High Court exceeded its legal mandate and committed errors significant enough to warrant intervention by the Supreme Court through judicial review.
Following the High Court’s annulment of the election, the NPP filed a stay of execution to prevent the Electoral Commission from taking steps to organise a rerun while the matter is under review.
The Supreme Court’s ruling now preserves the status quo as it considers the substantive legal issues raised in the case.
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