NDC didn’t exhibit good leadership in alleged Obuasi SHTS scandal – Brako-Powers

Legal practitioner and policy analyst Austin Kwabena Brako-Powers has criticised the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) over its handling of the alleged Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS) scandal, arguing that the party failed to demonstrate good leadership in its response to the controversy.

The controversy involves allegations of sexual misconduct against the school’s headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, who was also the Secretary of the NDC in the Juaben Constituency in the Ashanti Region. The allegations remain subject to investigation, and Mr Abdulai has maintained his innocence.

Mr Brako-Powers argued that the NDC was not proactive in addressing the matter and only appeared to respond decisively after public pressure mounted over the allegations.

“The party wasn’t proactive on the matter. The party had to cave in after pressure mounted on it,” he said.

According to him, the party missed an opportunity to demonstrate responsible leadership by taking timely steps to address the concerns raised by Ghanaians, particularly given the political position held by the headmaster within the party.

He said the NDC appeared confused about how to handle the controversy at a time when, in his view, the appropriate steps to address the public concerns were clear.

“The party was in a state of confusion when every Ghanaian was clear about what needed to be done to resolve the problem,” Mr Brako-Powers stated.

The legal practitioner acknowledged the importance of the constitutional presumption of innocence, emphasising that allegations must not be treated as proof of guilt before they are established through the appropriate legal process.

However, he argued that the presumption of innocence should not prevent a governing political party from demonstrating accountability and responding appropriately to matters of significant public concern.

“We need to understand that the constitutional presumption of innocence does not absolve the NDC of its moral responsibility to Ghanaians,” he said.

Mr Brako-Powers maintained that the NDC had options available to it but chose an approach that brought the party into conflict with sections of the public.

He argued that the party could have respected Mr Abdulai’s right to be presumed innocent while taking timely steps to demonstrate transparency, accountability and sensitivity to public concerns.

He concluded that the controversy offered an important lesson for political parties in government: respect for due process and the presumption of innocence must go hand in hand with responsible leadership, especially when allegations involve individuals who hold positions within the party.

The allegations against Mr Abdulai remain a matter for investigation and must be determined through the appropriate processes.