Minority demands withdrawal of letter declaring Kpandai seat vacant

1h ago | Source: Graphic Online

Minority demands withdrawal of letter declaring Kpandai seat vacant

The Minority in Parliament has challenged the formal declaration of the Kpandai parliamentary seat as vacant, insisting that a letter issued by the Clerk to Parliament to the Electoral Commission (EC) must be withdrawn immediately.

Tensions escalated in the House on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, after the Minority protested Parliament’s notification to the EC that the Kpandai seat was vacant following a High Court ruling ordering a rerun of the constituency’s parliamentary election.

The declaration was communicated in a letter dated December 4, 2025, in which the Clerk to Parliament, Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, informed EC Chairperson Jean Mensa that the seat had become vacant in compliance with a decision delivered on November 24, 2025. The ruling, issued by the High Court in Tamale, directed the EC to conduct a fresh election after a legal challenge to the previous poll. The Clerk was listed as the fourth respondent in that case.

But Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh strongly condemned the Clerk’s action, arguing that Parliament had acted prematurely and unlawfully.

“Mr Speaker, there is a letter that was sent into the House to declare the Kpandai seat vacant. That letter is out of place, unfortunate, and goes against the rule of law. We strongly submit that the letter must be withdrawn by Parliament. We in the Minority will not agree to the writing of this letter,” he said.

The Minority insisted that due parliamentary procedure and legal processes must be fully satisfied before such a declaration is made, warning that the current approach undermines constitutional checks and balances.

Their protest culminated in a brief suspension of proceedings. Members of the Minority, dressed in black, sang patriotic songs and hooted at Clerk Djietror when he attempted to restore calm.