The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has reaffirmed that government appointees who fail to resign from their positions will not be eligible to contest the party’s upcoming executive elections.
The party says its long-standing directive requiring government appointees to step down before seeking elective positions within the NDC remains in full force and will be strictly enforced throughout the electoral process.
According to the party, only individuals who are no longer serving in government positions will qualify to file nominations and participate in the internal elections.
No formal resignation notices yet
The NDC also indicated that, although reports have emerged suggesting that some appointees have resigned, the party headquarters has yet to receive formal notifications from most of those individuals.
It explained that the official status of prospective candidates would be determined during the nomination, filing and vetting process, when evidence of resignation and eligibility would be verified.
However, the party confirmed that some officials, including the Eastern Regional Chairman, the Eastern Regional Communications Officer, and Leland Tay, who is contesting for the National Chairman position, have resigned from their respective roles.
No special exemptions
The directive is expected to affect some government officials who may be considering contesting for executive positions while still holding public appointments, with the party also ruling out any special exemptions from the resignation requirement.
Speaking on Citi FM on Saturday, July 25, 2026, the NDC’s Acting IT Director, Jibril Mahdi, said government appointees who remain in office would automatically be disqualified from contesting the elections.
“Whoever is in office is not qualified to contest our elections,” he said.
Mr Mahdi added that the party headquarters had not officially received resignation notices from most of the individuals reported to have stepped down.
“Officially, we have not received any notice from anybody that has resigned. Whatever we are hearing is based on the social media information because, at party headquarters, we are not the appointing authority,” he said.
He further stressed that the party had not received any requests for exemptions, insisting:
“For now, whoever is still in office is automatically ineligible to contest as it stands.”
The NDC is expected to continue its internal electoral calendar following the completion of branch-level elections, with preparations underway for the next phase of the party’s executive elections.
Background
The NDC policy requiring full-time government appointees to resign six months before contesting internal executive positions reportedly aims to promote fairness, curb greed, and ensure a clear separation between state duties and party ambitions.
Announced in January 2026, the rule faced legal challenges that were dismissed by an Accra High Court on July 23, 2026.
The decision effectively clears the path for the NDC to implement its 2026 internal election guidelines approved by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).
The ruling means Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Managing Directors (MDs), their deputies, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), and persons occupying equivalent public offices who intend to contest for party positions will be required to step down at least six clear months before filing their nominations.
The six-month resignation requirement was announced by the NDC General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, on January 29, 2026, as part of measures to ensure fairness and equal opportunity in the party’s internal electoral process.
Announcing the guideline, Mr Kwetey said:
“Any person seeking to contest for a party position who currently holds an office to which he or she was appointed by the President or government must resign from that office at least six clear months before filing nomination claims.”
He explained that the directive, introduced pursuant to Article 54 of the NDC Constitution, was intended to create a level playing field by preventing incumbents from using the advantages of public office to gain an unfair edge over other contestants.
The directive, however, exempts chairpersons and members of governing boards, as well as persons occupying analogous board positions, meaning board appointments alone do not attract the mandatory resignation requirement.