Why Tamale High Court has annulled Kpandai Constituency election results, ordered rerun

A High Court in Tamale has overturned the 2024 parliamentary results in the Kpandai constituency and instructed the Electoral Commission (EC) to conduct a new poll within 30 days.

The ruling, delivered by Justice Emmanuel Brew Plange, follows a petition by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Daniel Nsala Wakpal, who argued that widespread breaches compromised the integrity of the vote.

Mr Wakpal alleged that Form 8A (pink sheet) entries from 41 out of 152 polling stations were inconsistent with electoral regulations, specifically Regulations 39 and 43 of CI 127.
The court agreed, concluding that the extent of non-compliance was significant enough to affect the outcome of the election.

The seat is currently held by the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Matthew Nyindam, who had been declared winner in December.

Tension on election day foreshadowed the dispute.
Scenes at the collation centre reportedly turned chaotic as security officers were deployed to calm clashes triggered by accusations of vote manipulation. Some eyewitness accounts suggested that biometric verification devices were removed and ballot materials vandalised.

Vote Margins in the Disputed Poll

In the annulled 2024 results:

NPP – Matthew Nyindam: 27,947 votes (53.47%)

NDC – Daniel Nsala Wakpal: 24,213 votes (46.33%)

APC – Donkor Eric Nipani: 104 votes (0.20%)

The gap between the NPP and NDC candidates stood at 3,734 votes.

Lawyers for Mr Nyindam have already filed applications seeking to halt the re-poll while they pursue an appeal.

Speaking to reporters after the judgment, counsel for the NDC candidate argued that the case hinged on one decisive point—the conduct of the Electoral Commission’s district officer.

He said the EC official changed the designated collation centre without informing candidates, effectively preventing the NDC from taking part in the collation process, challenging irregularities, or requesting recounts.

“You cannot redesignate a collation centre without notifying candidates,” he said. “Once the petitioner was excluded, the only legitimate remedy was a fresh election.”

The NDC’s Deputy Director of Elections and IT, Rashid Tanko Computer, described the ruling as a vindication of the party’s long-standing concerns about electoral wrongdoing.

He alleged that EC officials bypassed the legally mandated collation procedures under CI 127 and “declared cooked results” in favour of the NPP candidate.

“This judgment shows what we’ve been saying all along—certain electoral officers are determined to steal mandates,” he told journalists.

Mr Tanko said the party was ready for the upcoming by-election and issued a challenge to its opponents.