NDC clears Obuasi SHTS headmaster to contest constituency chairmanship race despite sexual abuse allegations

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has cleared the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School, Zakaria Abdulai, to contest the party's constituency chairmanship election despite ongoing investigations into allegations of sexual abuse against him.

The decision reverses an earlier directive seeking to prevent Mr Abdulai from contesting, with the party saying it must protect his rights while the allegations are being investigated.

NDC Deputy General Secretary Mustapha Gbande said the party's leadership decided to give Mr Abdulai an opportunity to respond to the allegations before reaching a final decision.

Speaking on Joy News on Monday, October 19, Mr Gbande said Mr Abdulai appeared before the party's Functional Executive Committee to address the allegations, which he described as serious.

He explained that although the party had reviewed the matter, it was proceeding cautiously because of ongoing processes initiated by the Education Minister and an investigative committee established by the Ghana Education Service (GES).

According to Mr Gbande, Mr Abdulai also informed the party that he had issued writs against some individuals connected to the matter.

He said these developments influenced the party's decision to reverse its initial directive.

“As much as we are dealing with the public interest nature of the issues, we don’t also jeopardise the rights of the person who is involved. We want to make sure that the processes are run properly.

“We do not overrun the substantive processes triggered by the minister and the GES. So we want to see how all of this plus the documentary by my brother Manasseh, how it play out, then the party will be advised appropriately,” he said.

Asked whether Mr Abdulai could now file his nomination and contest the election while the investigations continued, Mr Gbande said: “He can now file and proceed.”

Mr Abdulai, a long-serving constituency secretary, is seeking to become the NDC constituency chairman for Obuasi.

Mr Gbande said the party's General Secretary would monitor the various stages of the investigations, with the findings expected to guide the leadership's eventual decision.

He stressed, however, that the decision to allow Mr Abdulai to contest should not be interpreted as an exoneration from the allegations against him.

The deputy general secretary added that the party could take action before the investigations were completed if sufficient evidence emerged pointing to Mr Abdulai's involvement.

He said any decision would be guided by the NDC's constitution and considerations of the public interest.

“The National Executive Committee also informed him that we’ll be monitoring the process. Anytime that anything points to quite substantial evidence of his involvement in this, given the nature of the investigations that are going to be carried, the party will call him back,” he added.

Mr Gbande said the NDC was also concerned about protecting children and restoring public confidence in the country's schools, stressing that the ongoing investigative processes must be allowed to establish the facts.