Franklin Cudjoe Says EC Errors Triggered Kpandai Rerun

The ordered rerun of the Kpandai parliamentary election has been attributed to administrative failures by the Electoral Commission (EC), according to Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Africa.

Speaking on Channel One TV on Saturday, December 13, Mr. Cudjoe argued that the issues leading to the annulment of the 2024 results stemmed from lapses in the EC’s collation process. He emphasized that there was no evidence to suggest any wrongdoing on the part of the candidates who contested the election.

“The collation issues and everything that followed point clearly to the Electoral Commission. The fact that these lapses were allowed to occur tells me that the EC bears responsibility for this whole situation,” he stated, adding that the Commission should be held accountable.

Mr. Cudjoe expressed discomfort with the rerun, describing it as an injustice to Matthew Nyindam of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who he believes legitimately won the initial contest. “I feel very uncomfortable about this process. It is a disservice to a candidate who won an election, and for that reason, I hope he wins again,” he remarked.

He also raised concerns about the broader implications of repeated election reruns, warning that they could erode public trust in the electoral process. Mr. Cudjoe suggested that political parties and the EC must collaborate to prevent administrative shortcomings from influencing election outcomes.

The Kpandai rerun was prompted by a ruling from the Tamale High Court, which annulled the 2024 parliamentary election following a petition filed by Nsala Wakpal, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate. The court found that the final collation was conducted without the presence of the NDC candidate or a designated agent, leading Parliament to declare the seat vacant and the EC to schedule a rerun for Tuesday, December 30.

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