Professor Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua, a Professor of International Law and Human Rights at the University of Ghana School of Law, has said Parliament should have allowed Kpandai MP Matthew Nyindam to remain in his seat while all legal appeals were ongoing.
Speaking in an interview on December 20, 2025, Prof. Appiagyei-Atua argued that Parliament’s response to the High Court ruling did not fully consider the legal consequences of the case moving to the appellate courts.
He explained that although the Speaker of Parliament relied on the mandatory seven-day stay period after the High Court’s decision, the matter was no longer settled once appeals were filed.
“The Speaker made a ruling based on the seven-day stay, which Parliament respected, but the case had already gone to the Court of Appeal, and the NPP has since taken it to the Supreme Court for the High Court’s decision to be quashed,” he said.
According to him, once the appeal process began, Parliament should have maintained the status quo until the courts had fully resolved the case.
He stressed that allowing the MP to continue occupying his seat would have been in line with constitutional practice and respect for due process.
“In my view, the situation should have remained as it was, and the Member of Parliament, Matthew Nyindam, should have been allowed to stay in his seat,” Prof. Appiagyei-Atua stated.
His comments add to growing legal concerns over how the Kpandai parliamentary dispute has been managed, especially after the Supreme Court ordered a halt to all preparations for a rerun election.
The Supreme Court has suspended the Electoral Commission’s actions pending a final ruling, reinforcing the position of several legal experts that steps taken before the appeals are concluded could create institutional and constitutional uncertainty.
