BY VALENTIA TETTEH
Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has launched a strong critique of Ghana’s judiciary following the Tamale High Court’s decision to annul the 2024 parliamentary election results in the Kpandai Constituency. The court on Monday ordered a fresh election within 30 days after upholding a petition by NDC parliamentary candidate Daniel Nsala Wakpal, who alleged irregularities in portions of the December 7 poll.
Addressing journalists in Parliament on Wednesday, November 26, Mr. Afenyo-Markin described the ruling as troubling and accused the judiciary of acting in ways that undermine public confidence. He argued that the judgment, which was delivered without a full written reasoning, raised serious procedural and legal concerns.
“The judiciary must know that their actions and inaction to serve the interests of whoever their paymaster is have the tendency of destroying our peaceful republic,” he said. “We are criticising what we consider a shameful conduct. We are not afraid, and we are ready to subject our position to public scrutiny.”
The Minority Leader questioned the court’s decision to order a constituency-wide rerun, noting that the petitioner had challenged irregularities in only 41 polling stations. He said the directive to void results across all 152 polling centres “lacks legal justification and risks disenfranchising innocent voters.”
Mr. Afenyo-Markin further claimed that the ruling was issued without accompanying written reasons, a practice he described as “unprecedented” given the political weight of the matter.
“How can a judge sit in court and issue such an order without written reasons, no factual findings, and no legal analysis?” he asked. “This has massive political and democratic implications, and the people of Kpandai deserve a full explanation.”
He also alleged that the NDC had prior knowledge of the judgment before it was announced, suggesting what he called “issues of transparency” around the process.
The Minority Caucus maintains that Matthew Nyindam remains the duly elected Member of Parliament for Kpandai until a final determination is made by the Court of Appeal. They have expressed confidence that the ruling will be overturned.
