'Parliament on the verge of committing constitutional travesty' - Minority on Kpandai seat

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has criticised ongoing moves to declare the Kpandai parliamentary seat vacant, describing the development as a “direct assault” on constitutional governance and a dangerous precedent for Ghana’s democracy.

Addressing the press on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, the Deputy Minority Leader Patricia Appiagyei delivered a strongly worded statement condemning actions taken by parliamentary leadership and the Clerk of Parliament following a contested High Court ruling on the Kpandai seat.

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According to Appiagyei, Parliament risks “a constitutional travesty and a historical self-betrayal” if it proceeds on the basis of the Clerk’s notification to the Electoral Commission (EC), which signals that the Kpandai seat has become vacant.

“… A direct assault on the constitutional rights of the people of Kpandai, a dangerous breach of the separation of powers in the redress, and a reckless disregard for both our judicial process and our own parliamentary history. This House is on the verge of committing a constitutional travesty and a historical self-betrayal,” she said.

She argued that the Clerk’s letter, issued in response to a High Court order currently under challenge, cannot form the basis for declaring the seat vacant, especially when the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Matthew Nyindam, who won the seat by 3,734 votes, has already triggered legal processes to halt the judgment.

“We have taken note of a formal communication from the Clerk of Parliament, issued pursuant to the contested High Court order notifying the Electoral Commission of a vacancy in this Honorable House. On the strength of that notification alone, the Electoral Commission is expected to regard the Kpandai Parliamentary Seat as vacant though it is a seat that was decisively won by the New Patriotic Party with a clear and commanding mandate of a difference of 3,734 votes,” the Minority argued.

Appiagyei stressed that the court’s decision is not final, citing the MP’s filing of a stay of execution, a legal step that seeks to suspend the enforcement of the ruling until further judicial review is complete.

“As I stand before you, the honorable member for Kpandai, Matthew Nyindam has duly exercised his constitutional rights. He has filed a stay of execution halting by the oppression of law, the effect of that very judgment,” they submitted.

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The Minority contends that proceeding with the declaration despite the pending stay application undermines the separation of powers, interferes with judicial processes, and disenfranchises the people of Kpandai.

MAG/MA

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