Bawumia: Gov’t Acting in “Indecent Haste” on Kpandai Parliamentary Rerun
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government of rushing processes in the Kpandai parliamentary case in a way he believes threatens the integrity of Ghana’s democratic institutions.
Reacting to the Electoral Commission’s decision to hold a rerun of the Kpandai parliamentary election on December 30—after Parliament declared the seat vacant following a High Court annulment—Dr. Bawumia said the government’s approach reflects “an indecent haste” that deviates from Ghana’s democratic norms.
He argued that the situation involving former MP and NPP candidate Matthew Nyindam is not new, yet government and state institutions appear to be applying standards that differ from similar cases in the past.
Referencing previous matters involving Dan Abodakpi and Gyakye Quayson, he noted that Parliament and relevant state bodies allowed all legal processes to conclude before acting. “Why the rush now?” he asked.
Dr. Bawumia stressed that Nyindam has filed both an appeal and a judicial review, which are still pending. Moving ahead with the rerun, he said, would amount to “railroading” him and undermining the judicial process.
“I think this undermines our institutions of democracy,” he stated. “We should take a halt to these processes and allow him to have his day in court, just as others have been allowed in the past.”
He further criticised what he called a sudden departure from parliamentary precedent, saying the House “has never rushed in this way when it came to cases involving other parties.”
Dr. Bawumia urged restraint and fairness, warning that Ghana’s democracy can only thrive when state institutions apply the rules equally to all.
