Former Vice-President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has sharply criticised developments surrounding the Electoral Commission’s decision to set a date for a rerun of the Kpandai parliamentary election, warning that recent actions threaten the country’s democratic foundations.

Speaking on the unfolding dispute involving NPP parliamentary candidate Matthew Nyindam, Dr. Bawumia said he was “very, very disappointed in what is going on in our country,” arguing that “our institutions of democracy and our tenets of democracy are being undermined.”

According to him, the Kpandai matter is not an isolated controversy but part of a historical pattern of election-related legal disputes.

He referenced earlier cases involving Dan Kwasi Abodakpi and James Gyakye Quayson, noting that Parliament had previously allowed legal processes to run their full course before any state institutions took consequential actions.

“Basically, you’ve had the House allow court and legal processes to take place and be exhausted before state institutions are stampeded into acting in ways that undermine democracy,” he said.

Dr. Bawumia insisted that Matthew Nyindam must be allowed to complete his legal challenge before any rerun is conducted.

“Matthew Nyindam should be given his day in court,” he stressed. “He has filed appeal processes at the High Court, he has filed for a judicial review at the Supreme Court, and none of those cases has been adjudicated.”

The former Vice-President, questioned the urgency surrounding the EC’s move, calling it “rush” and “indecent haste.”

He added: “I think that he’s being railroaded. I think that this undermines our institutions of democracy. I think that we should take a halt to these processes and allow him to have his day in court, just as others have done in the past.”

He noted that Parliament had never acted with such speed in similar historical election disputes and challenged the rationale behind treating Nyindam’s case differently.

“What is the difference with the case of Matthew Nyindam? I think it should not be this case. I think we should uphold the tenets of democracy.”

Dr. Bawumia warned that weakening democratic norms carries grave national consequences.

“Democracy is something precious that we’ve all had and we’ve all subscribed to,” he said. “When you start undermining its pillars, you break it down and the consequences for the nation are very severe.”

He cautioned political actors against abusing power, saying: “Simply because you have power, you shouldn’t feel that you can ride roughshod over your opponents and over the principles of democracy.”

The former Vice-President concluded by aligning himself with the position of the parliamentary minority, who have also criticised the EC’s handling of the Kpandai issue.

“I stand with the principles that are being espoused by the minority in Parliament and they are doing a good job at it. And we want to support all the principles that they are fighting over in this particular case.”

Sompaonline.com/Derrick Djan