GHANA · POLITICS
The High Court in Nalerigu, a town in Ghana’s North East Region, has barred five people, including disputed co-opted members of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Nalerigu-Gambaga constituency, from taking part in the party’s regional executive elections on Saturday 14 November 2026. Justice Samuel Bright Acquah granted the order on Thursday 12 November on an ex parte application, meaning the court heard only the applicants.
The NDC is the party of President John Mahama, and its regional elections lead up to its national leadership vote on Saturday 19 December 2026 (our earlier report). The order covers one constituency’s disputed appointees, not the whole regional contest.
Key Facts
- What A court order bars five NDC members from the party’s regional executive elections.
- Who Justice Samuel Bright Acquah, on an application by constituency chairman Safianu Akunloya Akukua and six others.
- When Order dated Thursday 12 November 2026; the elections are set for Saturday 14 November 2026.
- Not known Whether the vote goes ahead as planned, and what the NDC will do.
A local dispute over who was added to a constituency committee has reached a court two days before the party votes.
What the Court Ordered
The seven applicants, led by constituency chairman Safianu Akunloya Akukua, sued the NDC and seven other defendants over an alleged breach of the party’s constitution. The order restrains the fourth to eighth defendants from taking part in the party’s Regional Executive Elections scheduled for 14 November.
The order is dated 12 November 2026 and issued by the court registrar, Mohammed Muaweya. The applicants’ lawyer is Issaka Balima Musah, and the court said it acted to forestall unrest inside the party.
The Dispute Over Five Co-opted Members
Co-opting means existing committee members add people to the committee instead of voters electing them. The constituency chairman and some executives challenged a proposed list of five co-opted members at a press conference on Tuesday 10 November.
On Wednesday 11 November, vice chairman Abdulai Tahiru Yampasia and 14 other executives said the chairman and eight others left an executive meeting on 29 October. They said the remaining 15 of the committee’s 24 members formed a quorum, the minimum number needed to decide, under Article 50 of the NDC constitution and agreed the list unanimously.
What It Means for You
For readers following Ghana’s politics from abroad, the order affects who may take part in one party’s internal vote, not government policy. It shows how party elections in Ghana can end up before the courts.
What Is Not Known
It is not known whether the elections will go ahead on 14 November as planned, whether the defendants will challenge the order, or when the court will hear both sides. The NDC’s response is also not known, and we have not seen the order itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who did the Nalerigu court bar from the NDC elections?
The order restrains five defendants, including disputed co-opted members of the NDC in the Nalerigu-Gambaga constituency. It bars them from taking part in the regional executive elections.
When are the NDC regional elections?
The order refers to elections scheduled for Saturday 14 November 2026. Whether they proceed as planned is not known.
Read more: Ghana’s ruling party votes in regional polls · Ghana news
Sources
Order of the High Court, Nalerigu, dated 12 November 2026 (as quoted in Ghanaian press coverage of 13 November 2026) · Constitution of the National Democratic Congress, Article 50.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error