Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has clarified that the Kpandai Member of Parliament, Matthew Nyindam, remains an active Member of Parliament despite the Tamale High Court’s decision annulling the 2024 parliamentary election results for the constituency.
According to the Speaker, the court’s ruling does not take immediate effect to remove the legislator from his seat. Nyindam retains full rights and privileges as an MP until December 1, the date specified for the enforcement of the judgment.
Bagbin stressed that Parliament is guided by constitutional procedures and due process, and unless further directives are issued or legal processes conclude before the stated date, Nyindam continues to lawfully represent his constituents.
Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, November 26, Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin clarified that Kpandai MP Matthew Nyindam remains a fully recognized Member of Parliament despite the Tamale High Court’s annulment of the 2024 parliamentary election results for the constituency.
The Speaker explained that, under the rules of the Court of Appeal, the filing of a notice of appeal automatically stays the execution of a High Court judgment for seven days. He noted that once Nyindam’s legal team filed the notice, the High Court’s decision could not take immediate effect.
Bagbin further stated that since the ruling was delivered on November 24, 2025, the automatic stay is valid until December 1, 2025, meaning Nyindam retains all rights, privileges, and responsibilities of an MP until that date. He emphasized that Parliament must operate within the law and respect the appellate processes that protect the rights of elected representatives.
“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 said.
The Speaker further clarified that Mr. Nyindam’s legal options extend beyond the initial seven-day stay. He explained that if the MP proceeds to exercise his right of appeal particularly through an application under Rule 27(1) of C.I. 19, which allows an appellant to formally apply for a stay of execution then a further suspension could be imposed on the enforcement of the High Court judgment.
Such a move would effectively keep the status quo in place until the Court of Appeal fully determines the case. Bagbin emphasized that Parliament must uphold these procedural safeguards to ensure fairness and adherence to the rule of law.
He added that it would therefore be premature for anyone to declare Mr. Nyindam disqualified from entering Parliament or participating in its business until the mandatory seven-day stay elapses.
“Honourable Members, this is not a declaratory order; it is an executive order delivered by the High Court,” Speaker Bagbin emphasized, reaffirming that Mr. Nyindam is fully entitled to participate in all parliamentary proceedings during the period of the stay.
Background
The Tamale High Court, presided over by Justice Emmanuel Brew Plange, annulled the December 7, 2024 parliamentary election in Kpandai after NDC parliamentary candidate Daniel Nsala Wakpal filed a petition challenging the validity of the results. The court ruled in favour of the petitioner, effectively voiding the election outcome that had declared Matthew Nyindam the winner.
The petition alleged serious electoral irregularities, citing inconsistencies in Form 8A (“pink sheets”) from 41 out of 152 polling stations. According to the petitioner, these discrepancies constituted a breach of Regulations 39 and 43 of the Public Elections Regulations (C.I. 127), which establish standards for recording, verifying, and transmitting election results.
After reviewing the evidence, the court held that the violations were significant enough to materially affect the integrity of the poll. As a result, Justice Emmanuel Brew Plange ordered the Electoral Commission to conduct a rerun of the parliamentary election across the entire Kpandai constituency.
