Zakaria Abdulai: Suspended Obuasi SHTS Headmaster Is NDC Constituency Secretary, Eyes Chairman Role

• The suspended headmaster holds an active position within the National Democratic Congress and is seeking a higher party role
• A former NDC constituency executive said party members attempted to suppress discussions about the sexual abuse allegations internally
• Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu had ordered the Ghana Education Service to suspend headmaster Zakaria Abdulai on October 13 pending investigation

Zakaria Abdulai, the headmaster at the centre of sexual abuse allegations at Obuasi Senior High Technical School in the Ashanti Region, is not only a constituency secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).

He is also positioning himself to contest the party's chairmanship, Joy News investigative correspondent Manasseh Azure Awuni noted.

Manasseh made the disclosure on Joy FM on Thursday, October 15, while discussing excerpts from his latest documentary, *Inside the Dreaded Headmaster's Bungalow*, which examines allegations of sexual abuse involving female students at the school.

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The journalist said he discovered the headmaster's political affiliations during the course of filming in the community.

He identified the headmaster as the Juabeng Constituency Secretary of the NDC and said promotional material had already appeared in the area ahead of an expected chairmanship contest.

"This man [the headmaster], we are told, is the Juabeng Constituency Secretary of the governing National Democratic Congress, and there are posters of him wanting to contest for the constituency chairman," Manasseh said.

The party's constituency delegates' conference, at which the chairmanship would be contested, is expected to take place before the end of the year.

Manasseh also said a former NDC constituency executive, Frederick Addai, had spoken to him about how some party members attempted to contain the matter when the allegations surfaced.

Allegations Known Widely, Action Not Taken

Beyond the political dimension, Manasseh said the allegations were well known among residents and within the school itself, yet neither school authorities nor the Ghana Education Service at district or regional level took sufficient steps to address them.

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He suggested the headmaster's apparent protection from influential quarters had contributed to the lack of action.

The headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, was suspended on October 13 following a directive from Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu to the Ghana Education Service.

The minister also requested that the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service open a formal investigation into the matter.

Source: YEN.com.gh