The Supreme Court has ordered the Electoral Commission (EC) to suspend all arrangements toward the planned rerun of the parliamentary election in the Kpandai Constituency, pending the determination of processes before the apex court.

The order was made on Tuesday, December 16, following an application by lawyers for the Member of Parliament for Kpandai, Matthew Nyindam, who is seeking a review and quashing of a High Court judgment that ordered a rerun of the election.

Service Challenges and Substituted Service

At the hearing, lawyers for Mr. Nyindam informed the court that they had been unable to serve the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Daniel Nsala Wakpal, and subsequently prayed for an order for substituted service. The Supreme Court granted the application and adjourned the matter to January 13, 2026, for further hearing.

EC’s Planned Rerun Put on Hold

The Electoral Commission had earlier announced plans to conduct a rerun of the parliamentary election in the Kpandai Constituency on Tuesday, December 30, 2025. This was contained in a press release dated December 10 and signed by Mr. Fred Tetteh, Deputy Director of the EC’s Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Department.

According to the EC, the decision followed a ruling by the Tamale High Court on Monday, November 24, 2025, which ordered a rerun of the election within 30 days. The Commission also cited a formal notification from the Clerk to Parliament, dated December 9, 2025, indicating that the Kpandai parliamentary seat had become vacant.

However, the Supreme Court’s latest directive effectively puts the EC’s preparations on hold until the legal processes are fully resolved.

Background to the Legal Dispute

The Tamale High Court, presided over by His Lordship Emmanuel Brew Plange, ordered the rerun after finding that alleged irregularities in the voting and collation processes undermined the credibility of the election results.

The case was initiated by former MP and NDC parliamentary candidate, Daniel Nsala Wakpal, who challenged the election of Matthew Nyindam following the December 7, 2024 parliamentary polls.

Mr. Wakpal contended that the election was conducted in breach of the Public Elections Regulations, 2020 (CI 127). He cited irregularities and inconsistencies in Form 8A (Statement of Polls for the Office of Member of Parliament, Pink Sheet) in 41 out of the 152 polling stations in the constituency.

He argued that the declaration and publication of the results did not comply with Regulations 39 and 43 of CI 127, and that the non-compliance materially affected the outcome of the election.

Appeal and Stay of Execution

In response to the High Court ruling, lawyers for Mr. Nyindam filed a notice of appeal and applied for a stay of execution, arguing that the High Court had wrongly assumed jurisdiction in the election petition.

The Supreme Court’s decision to suspend the EC’s arrangements now shifts national attention to the January 13, 2026 hearing, which is expected to determine the next course of action in the protracted Kpandai parliamentary election dispute.

For now, the status of the Kpandai parliamentary seat remains unresolved as the country’s highest court considers the substantive legal issues before it.