‘Our institutions are being undermined’: Bawumia criticises handling of Kpandai dispute
Former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has criticised what he describes as an erosion of democratic norms in the handling of the Kpandai parliamentary dispute, warning that recent actions by Parliament and the Electoral Commission risk undermining long-standing institutional safeguards.
His comments follow Parliament’s decision to declare the Kpandai seat vacant. After receiving Parliament’s notification, the Electoral Commission announced December 30, 2025, as the date for a fresh poll. This follows the Tamale High Court's ruling on Monday, November 24, 2025, ordering a rerun of the “Kpandai Constituency Parliamentary Election within 30 days”.
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Speaking in an interview, Dr Bawumia said he was troubled by the speed and manner in which the sitting MP, Martin Nyindam, who has filed an appeal in court, was being denied the opportunity to exhaust the legal processes available to him.
“To say the least, I’m very disappointed with what is going on in our country. It looks like our institutions of democracy and our tenets of democracy are being undermined,” he said.
He argued that Ghana’s recent political history offers clear precedents where Parliament opted to wait for the full conclusion of court proceedings before taking any action on a disputed seat.
“The issue of Kpandai with Mathew Nyindam is not a new issue in our democratic politics. We have had issues with Dan Abodakpi, issues with Takyi Quaison in Assin. Basically you’ve had the House allow the legal processes to take place and be exhausted before state institutions are subpleaded into acting in ways that undermine democracy.”
Dr Bawumia said he could not understand the “indecent haste” with which the latest decision had been taken, insisting that Mr Nyindam had followed all the necessary legal steps, including filing an appeal at the High Court and an application for judicial review at the Supreme Court.
“Martin Nyindam should be given his day in court. He has filed appeal processes at the High Court. He has filed for a judicial review at the Supreme Court and none of those cases has been adjudicated so why the rush? Why the indecent haste?” he asked.
He added that the MP was being “railroaded” and stressed that the move violates the norms Parliament had upheld in earlier disputes.
“The House has never really rushed in this way when it came to the other cases. What is the difference with the case of Martin Nyindam?” he queried. “It should not be the case. We should uphold the tenets of democracy. Democracy is something precious that we’ve all had and we have all subscribed to.”
Dr Bawumia further cautioned against the use of political authority to short-circuit democratic processes, arguing that such actions weaken the institutions that protect national stability.
“When you start undermining its pillars, you break it down and the consequences for the nation are very severe. Simply because you have power, you shouldn’t feel that you can run roughshod over your opponents and the principles of democracy,” he said.
