The Functional Executive Committee (FEC) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has defended its decision not to disqualify Zakaria Abdulai, headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School, from contesting the Juaben Constituency Chairmanship election despite allegations of sexual misconduct involving female students.
The party said the decision was made in line with the principles of fairness and natural justice.
In an October 19 statement, the party disclosed that its initial position was for Zakaria Abdulai to either resign voluntarily or be disqualified from the contest for the Juaben Constituency Chairmanship.
However, after further consideration of the matter and the need to uphold the principles of fairness and natural justice, the FEC invited him to present his side before making a final decision on his participation in the ongoing electoral process.
In arriving at its decision, the committee said it considered the report of the Ghana Education Service (GES) committee that investigated the matter, the 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 criminal investigation.
After reviewing the available information, the NDC said it had resolved to allow Zakaria Abdulai to remain in the constituency chairmanship race for now, stressing that the decision was informed by the need to respect the constitutional rights of all parties involved.
The NDC said the presumption of innocence must be upheld while the allegations remain under criminal investigation, adding that the timelines of the ongoing internal electoral process were also considered.
The decision means the headmaster will not be disqualified from the Juaben Constituency Chairmanship contest at this stage, although the party has reserved the right to reconsider its position depending on the outcome of the investigations.
