The Functional Executive Committee (FEC) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has defended its decision to allow Zakaria Abdulai, headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School, to remain in the race for the Juaben Constituency Chairmanship despite allegations of sexual misconduct involving female students.
The party said its decision followed further consideration of the matter and was guided by the principles of fairness, natural justice and the constitutional rights of the parties involved.
In a statement dated October 19, the NDC disclosed that its initial position had been for Mr Abdulai to resign voluntarily or be disqualified from contesting the constituency chairmanship position.
However, the FEC subsequently invited him to present his side of the matter before reaching a final decision on his participation in the ongoing internal electoral process.
The committee said it considered several documents and developments in arriving at its decision, including a report by a Ghana Education Service (GES) committee that investigated the matter, an investigative report by journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, and a directive from the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, referring the allegations to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service for a comprehensive criminal investigation.
Following its review, the party resolved to allow Mr Abdulai to remain in the contest for now, stressing that the allegations were still under criminal investigation.
The NDC maintained that the presumption of innocence must be respected while the investigative process continues. It also cited the timelines of the ongoing internal elections as a factor considered by the committee.
The decision means Mr Abdulai will not be disqualified from the Juaben Constituency Chairmanship race at this stage. However, the party has reserved the right to reconsider its position depending on the outcome of the investigations.
The development places the NDC’s internal electoral process alongside an ongoing criminal investigation, with the party maintaining that its decision does not amount to a determination of the merits of the allegations.
The outcome of the police investigation could therefore prove significant in determining whether the party takes further action regarding Mr Abdulai’s participation in the constituency elections.
