A heated confrontation broke out in Parliament on Wednesday after the Majority Caucus pushed for the New Patriotic Party MP for Kpandai to be declared persona non grata and removed from the Chamber.
The Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, argued that a ruling from the Tamale High Court, which he said had been properly served on Parliament, meant that Matthew Nyindam could no longer take part in any parliamentary proceedings.
The clash began when Mr Nyindam attempted to join the debate on the 2026 budget. The Majority side immediately objected, insisting that he had lost his seat following the High Court’s decision on November 24, 2025, which annulled the Kpandai parliamentary election results.
Mr Dafeamekpor told the House that he received the court order from a bailiff on Tuesday and that the Speaker, Clerk and Legal Department had also been served.
He said the ruling made Mr Nyindam ineligible to remain on the floor, adding that the court’s instruction for a re-run meant the MP must step aside until fresh polls were conducted. He stressed that although Mr Nyindam had appealed the decision, filing an appeal did not amount to a stay of execution.
He reminded the House of the circumstances surrounding former Assin North MP James Gyakye Quayson, saying that Parliament previously prevented him from participating in proceedings after a court ordered a by-election.
For that reason, he argued, the same position should apply in this case. He urged the Speaker to remove Mr Nyindam from the Chamber, insisting that precedent must be respected.
However, the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, strongly opposed the request. He rejected claims that he had ever advocated for Mr Quayson to be marched out of the House during the earlier controversy.
He explained that at the time, Mr Quayson had filed both an appeal and a stay of execution, and Parliament did not prevent him from entering or contributing.
He added that in that earlier case, the court’s full judgment had been made available immediately, while in Mr Nyindam’s situation, the judgment would only be released on Friday.
Mr Afenyo-Markin described the Majority’s application as inappropriate and urged the Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, to dismiss it. He maintained that any directive for the MP to leave the Chamber would have to come directly from the Speaker.
The Second Deputy Speaker concluded the exchange by informing the House that he had received a written directive from the Speaker to suspend any action on the matter until the Speaker himself returned to preside.
