NPP storms Supreme Court with Kpandai election case

The legal battle over the Kpandai parliamentary seat continues to escalate, with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) intensifying its challenge to the Tamale High Court ruling that nullified the 2024 constituency results.

The NPP has now filed a Judicial Review at the Supreme Court, claiming that the High Court judge, Justice Emmanuel Brew Plange committed a jurisdictional error in hearing the petition that had been filed outside the statutory timeline.

According to the NPP’s legal directorate, led by Lawyer Gary Nimako Marfo, the petition by the aggrieved party was filed on January 25th, 2025, well after the statutory 21-day period mandated under Ghanaian electoral law.

The official results for the Kpandai constituency had been gazetted on December 24, 2024, setting the 21-day filing window that expired on January 14, 2025.

By filing 32 days after gazette, the petition, the NPP argues, was out of time, and the High Court in Tamale should not have entertained it.

The NPP contends that this procedural oversight represents a substantial miscarriage of justice against the duly elected Member of Parliament, Matthew Nyindam, whose victory margin in the December 2024 elections was 3,734 votes, with 27,947 votes to the NDC Daniel Nsala Wakpal’s 24,213 votes.

The party insists that the Supreme Court must correct the error to restore legal clarity and protect the democratic mandate of Kpandai voters.

In addition to the Judicial Review, the NPP has filed a stay of execution application at the High Court, scheduled for hearing on December 10, 2025, to prevent the execution of the Tamale High Court’s nullification order pending the Supreme Court’s decision.

The main hearing of the Judicial Review is scheduled for December 16, 2025.

This development comes against a backdrop of political tension in Parliament, where the nullification of the Kpandai results had previously reduced the NPP Minority’s numerical strength and intensified scrutiny over the impartiality of judicial decisions in electoral disputes.

Analysts suggest that the Supreme Court’s ruling could set a critical precedent on the strict interpretation of statutory deadlines for election petitions in Ghana.

For Matthew Nyindam and the NPP, the stakes are high—not only the restoration of the parliamentary seat but also the reaffirmation of procedural compliance and the rule of law in the electoral process.

Parliament, the Electoral Commission, and the general public now await the Supreme Court’s decision, which is expected to clarify whether the Tamale High Court had the jurisdiction to entertain a petition filed beyond the legally prescribed period.

This case adds to the series of legal disputes following the 2024 elections, including concerns raised by the Minority over the lack of timely delivery of written judgments in the initial High Court proceedings, which critics argue has hindered meaningful appeals and affected public confidence in the judicial system.

The Supreme Court hearing on December 16 is set to be a pivotal moment in the ongoing Kpandai electoral saga, with implications for future parliamentary election disputes in Ghana.