The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is facing fresh challenges over its internal electoral process, with General Secretary aspirant Stephen Donkor dragging the party and its Director of Elections and IT, Mahdi Gibrill, before the High Court in Accra over his exclusion from the contest, while disqualified National Youth Organiser hopeful Steven Nhyira Odarteifio has expressed disappointment with the vetting committee’s decision but pledged to remain engaged in the party.
The two developments have brought renewed attention to the party’s ongoing national executive elections, particularly the administration of its nomination procedures, the vetting of aspirants and the processes through which prospective candidates are admitted or disqualified from the various leadership contests.
Mr Donkor’s legal action centres on his allegation that an unexplained alteration to his nomination portal login credentials prevented him from completing the filing requirements for the General Secretary position, despite having paid the prescribed GH¢80,000 nomination fee and commenced the online application process.
In a writ filed at the High Court in Accra, he is challenging the decision to leave his name off the list of successful nominees, arguing that the circumstances surrounding the interruption of his access to the party’s online nomination platform unfairly deprived him of the opportunity to complete his candidature.
According to his statement of claim, Mr Donkor initiated the nomination process after paying the required filing fee and successfully uploading his nomination documents through the NDC’s online portal.
He maintains, however, that on the evening of November 6, 2026, he discovered that his login credentials had been altered without his knowledge or authorisation, leaving him unable to access his nomination account.
The alleged disruption, he contends, prevented him from retrieving and completing Forms A and C, which were necessary to finalise his nomination and satisfy the party’s electoral requirements.
Mr Donkor is consequently asking the court to set aside his exclusion and direct the NDC and Mr Gibrill to restore his access to the nomination platform or provide an alternative arrangement through which he can complete the outstanding documentation.
He is also seeking a declaration that the decision to exclude him was unlawful and inconsistent with Article 23 of the 1992 Constitution, which requires administrative bodies and officials exercising administrative functions to act fairly, reasonably and in accordance with the law.
In addition, he wants the court to compel the party and its Director of Elections and IT to reconsider and process his nomination in accordance with the applicable electoral guidelines, taking into account the alleged circumstances that prevented him from completing the online filing procedure.
His requested reliefs further include an order directing the party to subject him to vetting for the General Secretary position once he has completed the nomination requirements.
The aspirant insists that he remains prepared to submit the outstanding forms and appear before the vetting committee, provided his portal access is restored or an alternative submission mechanism is made available.
The dispute has also attracted attention because the NDC’s Director of Elections and IT, Mahdi Gibrill, has offered a different explanation for the difficulties surrounding Mr Donkor’s nomination. The party official reportedly attributed the problem to the sharing of the aspirant’s login details with other individuals, explaining that the online platform had security safeguards, including a verification procedure through which a new PIN was sent to the candidate’s registered telephone number whenever a reset was requested.
Mr Gibrill also maintained that Mr Donkor had received assistance from the party’s call centre personnel during the nomination process.
The disagreement is particularly significant because the party had separately announced that aspirants were required to submit completed nomination documents physically between November 7 and November 9, 2026, even where they had initiated the process through the online portal. Mr Gibrill had warned that online submission alone would not constitute a completed nomination.
Mr Donkor’s legal challenge therefore raises questions about the relationship between the online application process, the requirement for physical submission and the circumstances under which an aspirant who claims to have encountered a technical or access problem should be accommodated. Those issues will ultimately require examination of the party’s electoral guidelines, the evidence surrounding the portal access dispute and the reliefs sought before the court.
Meanwhile, a separate development involving the National Youth Organiser contest has brought another dimension to the party’s vetting exercise, following the disqualification of Steven Nhyira Odarteifio, who has expressed disappointment but says he intends to maintain his commitment to the NDC and its youth development agenda.
Mr Odarteifio underwent vetting on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, but failed to obtain the committee’s clearance, effectively ending his ambition to contest the position. Another aspirant, Najib Saqib Yahaya, was also disqualified from the same race.
Speaking to Citi News on Thursday, November 12, Mr Odarteifio acknowledged his disappointment with the outcome, explaining that he had communicated his disagreement to the vetting committee but would nevertheless respect its decision.
“I’m naturally disappointed. I expressed that to the committee yesterday, but I would have to respect the verdict of the committee rather reluctantly,” he said.
He maintained that his continued involvement in the NDC would be guided by his commitment to youth development, particularly the creation of sustainable employment opportunities for young people.
Mr Odarteifio identified agriculture as a potentially transformative avenue for addressing youth unemployment, arguing that the sector could provide opportunities for sustainable livelihoods if young people were adequately supported to participate in agricultural production and related businesses.
He also disclosed that he intended to issue a formal statement outlining his next steps and would explore available avenues for further engagement with the party.
“I’ll be issuing a press statement soon to that effect, which would inform the next steps of whatever processes are deemed fit. And so, I would be exploring whatever opportunity is available to engage the party further and chart the best course forward,” he stated.
Odarteifio
The NDC’s Acting Director of Elections and IT, Mahdi Gibril, has subsequently provided an explanation of the eligibility requirements underpinning the vetting exercise. Speaking on Rainbow Radio, he said aspirants seeking national executive positions were required to have served in a constituency executive position for at least four years.
He maintained that the disqualifications were based on established party regulations rather than personal considerations, adding that five aspirants across different contests had failed to satisfy the relevant eligibility requirements.
According to Mr Gibril, membership in good standing and payment of party dues do not automatically qualify an individual to contest every national executive position, as candidates must satisfy the specific requirements attached to their respective offices.
Rainbow Radio Online
Mr Odarteifio, however, has maintained that he disagrees with the committee’s decision, although he has indicated his willingness to pursue further engagement with the party.
Before submitting his nomination, he had outlined an agenda aimed at transforming the NDC Youth Wing from a predominantly political mobilisation structure into an organisation capable of connecting young people to employment, technical training, entrepreneurship opportunities and access to finance. He also paid tribute to President John Dramani Mahama and the party’s founding leaders, describing the NDC as a political home for a new generation of leadership founded on empathy, ethics and entrepreneurship.
The two developments come as the NDC prepares for its National Delegates Congress scheduled for December 19, 2026, when the party will elect its national executives for the next administrative term.
The Congress Elections Committee disclosed that 121 aspirants had successfully submitted nominations out of the 138 individuals who initially collected nomination forms. The subsequent vetting exercise is intended to establish which candidates have satisfied the party’s eligibility requirements and can proceed to the electoral contest.
While Mr Donkor has chosen to challenge his exclusion through the courts, Mr Odarteifio has indicated his intention to respect the vetting committee’s decision while exploring further engagement with the party. Their respective situations illustrate two different responses to the internal electoral process, with one seeking judicial intervention over an alleged procedural irregularity and the other expressing disagreement with an administrative decision while maintaining his political commitment.
The legal proceedings initiated by Mr Donkor and the party’s explanations of its vetting requirements are therefore likely to remain important developments as the NDC advances preparations for its December national elections.
