Speaker Rules Matthew Nyindam Retains Parliamentary Seat Pending Appeal Window
ACCRA, Ghana — The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has ruled that Matthew Nyindam, Member of Parliament for Kpandai, remains fully entitled to participate in all parliamentary activities despite a High Court ruling that annulled his election and ordered a re-run.
Delivering his ruling on Thursday, November 27, the Speaker clarified that the Tamale High Court’s decision, issued on Monday, November 24, 2025, cannot yet take effect because the mandatory seven-day stay of execution provided under Ghana’s appellate procedures has not elapsed. “Honourable Members, it is thus premature to assert that Honourable Matthew Nyindam is disqualified from entering and engaging in the proceedings of the House because this timeframe still falls within the mandatory seven-day stay of execution of the order,” Speaker Bagbin stated.
The Speaker’s clarification came in response to objections raised by some Majority Members on Wednesday, who had argued that Mr. Nyindam’s participation in parliamentary proceedings violated the High Court’s ruling.
Bagbin explained that the High Court’s directive was an executive order, not a declaratory judgment, and therefore could not automatically render the seat vacant until the appeal period expires or a higher court intervenes. “The nature of the order is executive and not declaratory,” he said. “Hence, Honourable Nyindam’s participation in the business of the House yesterday was valid.”
Citing Rule 27(1) of the Court of Appeal Rules, 1997 (C.I. 19), as amended by the 2020 Court of Appeal Rules (C.I. 192), the Speaker noted that the losing party in a High Court matter has seven days to file an appeal before any order can be executed. He also drew on precedent from the Supreme Court’s decision in Mensah v. Ghana Commercial Bank (2025–2026), which established that any enforcement of a judgment within this seven-day period is premature and therefore void.
Bagbin emphasized that Nyindam’s statutory right of appeal remains intact until December 1, 2025.
“During this timeframe, the High Court’s decision cannot justify the Speaker instructing the Clerk to inform the Electoral Commission that the Kpandai seat is vacant,” he stressed.
He added that if the MP files an appeal or an application under Rule 27(1), the enforcement of the Tamale High Court’s judgment will be further suspended until the appellate court rules on the matter.
The Speaker’s ruling effectively maintains the status quo, allowing Mr. Nyindam to continue serving in Parliament as the legal and procedural avenues for appeal remain open. The decision has eased immediate political tensions but also underscored the importance of judicial timelines in managing parliamentary representation disputes.
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