The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has reversed its earlier directive barring Obuasi Senior High Technical School headmaster Zakaria Abdulai from contesting the party’s constituency chairmanship election, allowing him to file his nomination while investigations into sexual abuse allegations against him continue.

NDC Deputy General Secretary Mustapha Gbande said the decision was taken after the party’s leadership gave Abdulai an opportunity to respond to the allegations, which it considers serious.

Speaking on JoyNews on Monday, October 19, 2026, Mr Gbande disclosed that Abdulai appeared before the party’s Functional Executive Committee to present his side of the matter.

He explained that the leadership had to balance concerns about the public interest with the need to protect Abdulai’s rights while the relevant investigative processes were underway.

According to him, the party also considered a directive from the Education Minister, an investigative committee established by the Ghana Education Service (GES) and information that Abdulai had initiated legal proceedings against some individuals connected to the case.

These developments, he said, informed the decision to reconsider the initial directive and allow the headmaster to participate in the internal election.

“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,” Mr Gbande said.

He added that the party would not interfere with the investigations initiated by the Education Ministry and the GES, noting that the leadership would assess their findings alongside the documentary report by investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni before deciding on the next course of action.

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

Abdulai, a long-serving constituency secretary, is seeking to become the NDC’s constituency chairman in Obuasi.

Mr Gbande said the party’s General Secretary would monitor developments throughout the investigative process and ensure that the leadership was adequately informed of any significant findings.

He emphasised, however, that the decision to allow Abdulai to contest did not amount to an exoneration from the allegations.

According to him, the party could take action against the headmaster even before the investigations are completed if substantial evidence emerges pointing to his involvement.

“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 maintained that any further action would be guided by the NDC’s constitution, the evidence available and the broader public interest.

He said the party remained concerned about the protection of children and the need to restore public confidence in Ghana’s educational institutions, stressing that the ongoing investigations must be allowed to establish the facts.

The NDC’s decision means Abdulai can pursue the constituency chairmanship position while the allegations against him remain under investigation.