The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has raised serious concerns about delays and missed timelines by the High Court in Tamale in the ongoing Kpandai parliamentary election dispute.
In a facebook post, Mr Afenyo-Markin drew attention to the conduct of Justice Manuel Bart-Plange Brew, who was expected to deliver a ruling on December 18 2025 but did not sit.
According to him, no ruling was delivered, no new date was announced, and parties were only informed that the judge was indisposed.
He stressed that the incident was not isolated and formed part of what he described as a troubling pattern in the same case.
The Minority Leader recalled that on November 24 2025, the High Court nullified the entire Kpandai parliamentary election and ordered a fresh poll, even though the election petition focused on alleged irregularities in only some polling stations.
The decision removed Matthew Nyindam from office, despite him winning the election with 27,947 votes against 24,213, a margin of 3,734 votes.
He noted that after the judgment, lawyers for Mr Nyindam requested the written ruling but faced delays before it was eventually released days later. He explained that the delay already raised concerns, given the serious impact of the decision.
Mr Afenyo-Markin further stated that Parliament went ahead to treat the Kpandai seat as vacant and notified the Electoral Commission of Ghana, even though an appeal and an application for certiorari were already before the courts.
He added that the Minority protested this move and called for restraint until all court processes were completed, but their objections were ignored.
According to him, Mr Nyindam later filed a stay of execution application, and Justice Brew fixed a mid-December date to rule on it. December 18 2025 was publicly announced as the ruling date, making it significant for Parliament and the Electoral Commission, which had already begun acting on the assumption that the seat was vacant.
However, when the date arrived, the judge did not appear, no ruling was delivered, and no fresh date was announced.
The Minority Leader explained that the matter is now before the Supreme Court of Ghana, which on December 16 2025 issued an interim order directing the Electoral Commission to suspend all steps toward a rerun election in Kpandai until the case is determined.
He questioned why courts fix firm ruling dates but fail to meet them and called for clearer explanations when such delays occur, especially in cases with national and constitutional importance.
Mr Afenyo-Markin stressed that respect for the judiciary remains important but added that fairness, transparency and timely justice are also critical.
He called on Justice Brew to promptly deliver a clear ruling on the stay application to bring certainty to the case.
He concluded that the people of Kpandai, Parliament and all state institutions involved deserve clarity, warning that justice delayed, especially after a far-reaching judgment, undermines public confidence in the justice system.
By: Jacob Aggrey
