The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has cleared the vetting stage of its upcoming internal elections, with 26 aspirants disqualified from contesting. The affected candidates are scheduled to have their appeals heard on Monday, October 19.
Mahdi Jibrill, the party’s Acting Director of Elections and IT, disclosed that vetting has been completed in all 16 regions, with roughly 95 to 96 per cent of aspirants undergoing the process. He explained that the appeal window offers those who were unsuccessful an avenue to contest the decisions and seek redress.
Speaking to VoxSphere Gh News, Jibrill said the disqualified aspirants were now awaiting the committee’s sitting on their appeals. “The 26 who have been disqualified already are waiting for the committee to sit on the appeals on Monday,” he stated.
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He expressed optimism that the appeal mechanism would resolve grievances and help the party preserve unity as the elections approach. “Whatever happens at appeal, I believe that the person will be satisfied that the party has dealt with it well, and all of us will work together towards the elections,” he said.
Jibrill described the exercise as largely peaceful, noting that nine of the 16 regions completed vetting without any aspirant raising concerns. In his view, the broad acceptance of the process reflects confidence in the party’s arrangements and bodes well for a peaceful poll.
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He further indicated that preparations were advancing, including the printing of ballot papers for the constituency-level contests. The ballots are expected to arrive in the districts by Wednesday, ahead of constituency elections fixed for October 24 and 25. He added that the party remains on track to finish its internal election calendar by December.
On campaign conduct, Jibrill explained that the party’s stance against billboards is meant to steer aspirants towards investing in direct engagement with delegates rather than advertising to the wider public. Since the contests are delegate-based, he argued, reaching delegates directly is the more practical campaign approach. He was nonetheless quick to clarify that the position on billboards is a directive rather than a mere suggestion, and that aspirants are expected to comply.
The NDC is conducting these internal elections as part of a broader effort to reorganise its structures and position itself for future political engagements.
