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Minority leader raises concerns over delayed ruling in Kpandai election case
The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has raised serious concerns about delays and missed timelines by the High Court in Tamale in the ongoing Kpandai parliamentary election dispute.
In a facebook post, Mr Afenyo-Markin drew attention to the conduct of Justice Manuel Bart-Plange Brew, who was expected to deliver a ruling on December 18 2025 but did not sit.
According to him, no ruling was delivered, no new date was announced, and parties were only informed that the judge was indisposed.
He stressed that the incident was not isolated and formed part of what he described as a troubling pattern in the same case.
The Minority Leader recalled that on November 24 2025, the High Court nullified the entire Kpandai parliamentary election and ordered a fresh poll, even though the election petition focused on alleged irregularities in only some polling stations.
The decision removed Matthew Nyindam from office, despite him winning the election with 27,947 votes against 24,213, a margin of 3,734 votes.
He noted that after the judgment, lawyers for Mr Nyindam requested the written ruling but faced delays before it was eventually released days later. He explained that the delay already raised concerns, given the serious impact of the decision.
Mr Afenyo-Markin further stated that Parliament went ahead to treat the Kpandai seat as vacant and notified the Electoral Commission of Ghana, even though an appeal and an application for certiorari were already before the courts.
He added that the Minority protested this move and called for restraint until all court processes were completed, but their objections were ignored.
According to him, Mr Nyindam later filed a stay of execution application, and Justice Brew fixed a mid-December date to rule on it. December 18 2025 was publicly announced as the ruling date, making it significant for Parliament and the Electoral Commission, which had already begun acting on the assumption that the seat was vacant.
However, when the date arrived, the judge did not appear, no ruling was delivered, and no fresh date was announced.
The Minority Leader explained that the matter is now before the Supreme Court of Ghana, which on December 16 2025 issued an interim order directing the Electoral Commission to suspend all steps toward a rerun election in Kpandai until the case is determined.
He questioned why courts fix firm ruling dates but fail to meet them and called for clearer explanations when such delays occur, especially in cases with national and constitutional importance.
Mr Afenyo-Markin stressed that respect for the judiciary remains important but added that fairness, transparency and timely justice are also critical.
He called on Justice Brew to promptly deliver a clear ruling on the stay application to bring certainty to the case.
He concluded that the people of Kpandai, Parliament and all state institutions involved deserve clarity, warning that justice delayed, especially after a far-reaching judgment, undermines public confidence in the justice system.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The family of Ambassador James Victor Gbeho, a distinguished statesman and diplomat, has paid a courtesy call on President John Dramani Mahama. They officially informed him of his passing.
The delegation, representing the Gbeho family, noted that it was culturally and diplomatically important to formally notify the President of the loss before making a public announcement of his death.
Ambassador Gbeho was a towering figure in Ghanaian and international politics. He served in many diplomatic missions, including New York. He was Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, a Member of Parliament for the Anlo constituency, and President (formerly Executive Secretary) of the ECOWAS Commission.
He was widely respected for his role in regional integration and his contributions to global diplomacy at the United Nations.
President Mahama expressed his condolences and shared reflections on Ambassador Gbeho’s contributions to the country, West Africa and the world.
Funeral details will be announced later.
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has revoked all firearm permits in Ghana with immediate effect and announced a new registration process for all gun owners.
The minister made the announcement on Tuesday, June 23, at the information service department saying all individuals who currently hold licences to own firearms or sidearms must undergo a fresh registration process.
“From this afternoon, all permits that have been granted to any individual that you are holding a sidearm or firearm is hereby revoked,” Mr Muntaka said.
He explained that the government had identified gaps in the country’s firearm registration system and needed to introduce stricter measures to improve public safety.
“We are opening the window where everyone will have to come forward again to register or re-register the gun because we’ve changed the procedure,” he stated.
According to him, the government decided not to wait until the end of the year to make the changes because lives could still be saved within the next six months.
The Interior Minister said one of the new requirements would be mandatory mental health screening for applicants seeking firearm licences.
“We’ve seen that people with mental health have already gone through and have the sidearm. Now we are introducing mental health. Before we give you the sidearm, we have to be sure that you have the mental stability to hold the firearms,” he said.
Mr Muntaka also announced that applicants would be required to undergo drug tests before being granted licences.
“We’ve also realised that people who are on drugs are also holding their arms and they are legitimate because it’s been registered. Now you have to go through drug tests to be sure that you are not on drugs before you can hold sidearms,” he added.
The minister said the new measures form part of efforts by the government to tighten firearm control and prevent legally registered weapons from falling into the wrong hands.
He urged all firearm owners to cooperate with the new registration process once details of the exercise are announced.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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