The Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande, has revealed that the party has reversed its earlier decision directing the embattled headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School, Zakaria Abdulai, to withdraw from the constituency chairmanship race.

According to him, the party has now granted Abdulai permission to file his nomination and contest the election despite ongoing investigations into allegations of sexual abuse levelled against him.

Speaking in an interview on Joy News on October 19, 2026, Gbande explained that the decision was reached after the embattled headmaster appeared before the party's Functional Executive Committee to respond to issues surrounding the allegations.

He indicated that the earlier directive was only a preliminary decision, which the party considered necessary to review after hearing Abdulai's side of the matter.

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"Indeed, it is true. Those were preliminary directives that were taken," he stated.

Gbande further confirmed that the headmaster is now free to participate in the internal election while investigations by the relevant authorities continue.

"He can now file and proceed," he declared.

However, the NDC Deputy General Secretary cautioned that the party's decision to allow Abdulai to contest should not be interpreted as an attempt to protect him from possible sanctions if the allegations against him are established.

He stressed that even if the headmaster emerges victorious in the chairmanship contest, the party could still remove him from office depending on the outcome of the investigations.

The latest development represents a significant change in the party's earlier position after its Deputy Communications Director reportedly announced on The Probe that Abdulai would be disqualified if he proceeded with his political ambition.

Explaining the circumstances surrounding the reversal, Gbande disclosed that the Functional Executive Committee considered several ongoing processes, including a ministerial directive and investigations being conducted by the Ghana Education Service (GES).

He noted that the committee also took into account explanations provided by Abdulai during his appearance before the party leadership.

According to him, the headmaster informed the committee that he had initiated legal action against certain individuals connected to the controversy.

Gbande, however, admitted that he could not immediately confirm whether the lawsuits filed by Abdulai were related to defamation.

The decision means that Abdulai can continue pursuing his ambition of becoming an NDC constituency chairman while awaiting the outcome of investigations into the sexual abuse allegations.

Meanwhile, the party maintains that allowing him to contest does not amount to clearing him of the allegations, as any subsequent findings could still influence his political future within the NDC.

AM

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