Former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has criticised the handling of the Kpandai parliamentary election rerun, warning that Ghana’s democratic framework is being undermined by the rushed actions of state institutions.
Dr. Bawumia, speaking to the media on Thursday, December 11, expressed deep disappointment with developments surrounding the rerun of the Kpandai Constituency seat.
His comments come after the Tamale High Court in late November annulled the 2024 parliamentary election results in the constituency, citing irregularities in multiple polling stations and ordered that a fresh election be held within 30 days.
The High Court’s ruling followed a petition by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, who challenged the victory of Matthew Nyindam of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Parliament has since notified the Electoral Commission (EC) that the seat is vacant, triggering preparations for a rerun.
The EC has scheduled this rerun for Tuesday, December 30, 2025, involving only the three candidates from the 2024 contest.
Dr. Bawumia argued that although the court’s decision was delivered, ongoing legal processes involving appeals and requests for judicial review — including a stay of execution filed by Mr. Nyindam — have not yet been concluded.
In similar electoral disputes in the past, institutions waited for legal matters to be resolved before advancing electoral processes, he noted.
“To say the least, I am very, very disappointed in what is going on in our country,” he said. “It looks like our institutions of democracy and our tenets of democracy are being undermined… why the rush, why the indecent haste?”
Dr. Bawumia emphasised that democracy is precious and should not be weakened by hasty processes that appear to “railroad” political opponents.
He called for the state and parliamentary actors to let due process take its course, allowing Mr. Nyindam his day in court before moving ahead with the rerun.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
