Obuasi:Zakaria Abdulai, headmaster of Obuasi Senior High and Technical School, has been instructed to withdraw from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) primaries for the Juaben constituency in the Ashanti Region following accusations of molesting female students.
According to Ghana Web, Abdulai, who also serves as the General Secretary for the Juaben constituency, initially filed his nomination to compete for the party's chairmanship position. However, the NDC has demanded his withdrawal from the race, reportedly stating that failure to comply would lead to disqualification.
The allegations against Abdulai were brought to light by investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, whose exposé led to the headmaster's interdiction. In an October 18, 2026 Facebook post, Manasseh revealed that 14 female students had accused Abdulai of sexual abuse over the past year, and the NDC's order for withdrawal followed these revelations.
Manasseh reported that the case was widely known within Obuasi, yet no decisive action had been taken by the relevant authorities, including the Municipal Education Directorate, which had been aware of the complaints since March 2026. The directorate reportedly failed to advance the investigation due to the director's illness at the time.
In addition to these allegations, Manasseh noted that incidents in June and July involved further claims of abuse, including a reported rape. Teachers responsible for girl-child education at the school had also raised numerous concerns through letters and petitions, underscoring the severity and persistence of the issue.