NDC justifies decision to allow embattled Obuasi SHTS headmaster contest Juaben chairmanship race

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has defended its decision to allow Zakaria Abdulai, headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School, to remain in the contest for the Juaben Constituency Chairmanship despite allegations of sexual misconduct involving female students.

The party’s Functional Executive Committee (FEC) said its decision 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 it initially considered asking Mr Abdulai to resign voluntarily or disqualifying him from the constituency chairmanship race.

However, following further deliberations, the committee decided to give him an opportunity to respond to the allegations before reaching a final decision on his participation in the ongoing internal elections.

The FEC said it took into account several documents, including a report by a Ghana Education Service (GES) committee that investigated the matter, an investigative report by 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 investigation.

After reviewing the available information, the party resolved to allow Mr Abdulai to continue in the contest for the time being.

The NDC maintained that the presumption of innocence must be respected while the allegations remain under criminal investigation. It also cited the need to consider the timetable for its ongoing internal electoral process.

The decision means Mr Abdulai will not be disqualified from the Juaben Constituency Chairmanship race at this stage.

However, the party has left open the possibility of reviewing its position in light of the outcome of the investigations.

Also read:

• NDC directs embattled Obuasi SHTS to withdraw from Juaben chairmanship race or face disqualification

• Suspended Obuasi SHTS headmaster to contest chairmanship race as NDC everses withdrawal directive

Read the full statement below:

FEC POSITION ON MR ZAKARIA ABDULAI – JUABEN CONSTITUENCY

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