The Acting Director of Elections of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mahdi Gibril, has defended Zakaria Abdulai’s decision to contest the Juaben Constituency chairmanship despite sexual assault allegations involving female students.
Speaking on GhanaAkoma, hosted by Sir John, Gibril said Abdulai’s future in the party would depend on the findings of investigations into the allegations.
He said Abdulai would not be permitted to take up the chairmanship if he were found guilty, even if he won the constituency election. However, he would remain eligible to serve if the investigation cleared him.
“If the outcome of the investigation proves that he is guilty, he will not hold the chairmanship position despite winning. On the other hand, he will continue to serve when proven innocent,” Gibril said.
The NDC official also praised Abdulai’s performance as the party’s Juaben Constituency Secretary and said the organisation valued his contribution.
“What I know is that I have a competent secretary at Juaben, and the party is proud to have him,” he added.
Gibril questioned whether the timing of the allegations and the circumstances surrounding them could be politically motivated. He urged caution until the investigative process had been completed.
“Don’t be surprised if these sexual allegations disappear after our elections on October 24. There is a possibility that they could be part of an agenda against him, but only time will tell,” he said.
Investigation into allegations
Abdulai, who is headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), has been interdicted by the Ghana Education Service (GES) over allegations of sexual misconduct involving female students.
The interdiction will remain in place while a full-scale investigation is conducted. The police have also been asked to investigate the allegations.
The case has led to public debate over whether Abdulai should be allowed to contest the Juaben Constituency chairmanship while the investigations remain ongoing.
