Professor Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua, a Professor of International Law and Human Rights at the University of Ghana School of Law, has argued that Parliament should have allowed the Member of Parliament for Kpandai, Matthew Nyindam, to remain in office while legal challenges stemming from a High Court ruling were being pursued.
Speaking on JoyNews’ *Newsfile* programme, Prof. Appiagyei-Atua explained that parliamentary procedure had already complied with the Speaker’s initial ruling, which required a mandatory seven-day stay. According to him, once the case progressed beyond the High Court and entered the appellate process, Parliament ought to have maintained the status quo.
“The Speaker made a ruling referring to the mandatory seven-day stay, which was respected by Parliament. However, the matter has since been taken to the Court of Appeal, and the NPP has proceeded to the Supreme Court seeking to have the High Court’s decision quashed,” he said.
He added that under such circumstances, Parliament should have allowed the MP to continue occupying his seat until the courts had fully resolved the matter.
“I think the situation should have been held in abeyance, and the Member of Parliament, Matthew Nyindam, should have been allowed to remain in his seat,” Prof. Appiagyei-Atua stated.
In a related development, Professor John Osae-Kwapong, a Democracy and Development Fellow at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to halt the planned parliamentary rerun in Kpandai. He described the court’s intervention as timely and necessary.
Speaking on JoyNews’ *AM Show*, Prof. Osae-Kwapong noted that the case raises fundamental constitutional questions that require interpretation by the country’s highest court.
“When an issue borders on what a particular provision of the Constitution means or does not mean, it becomes appropriate for the Supreme Court to step in,” he said.
He further praised the directive instructing the Electoral Commission to suspend any further action until the legal issues are fully resolved, cautioning that proceeding with a rerun prematurely could create avoidable complications.
Source: MyNewsGh.com
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