The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has cleared more than 15,000 aspirants to contest its upcoming constituency executive elections, with about 480 candidates set to emerge unopposed.
The party’s Director of Elections and IT, Mahdi Jibril, said only about 25 aspirants were disqualified during the vetting process, leaving more than 15,000 eligible candidates across the country.
Mr Jibril disclosed the figures on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, as the party moved into the campaign phase ahead of the constituency level elections scheduled for October 24 and 25.
“From what we receive as submitted, we’re talking about almost 15,000-plus that have been able to submit their forms for the elections,” he said in an interview with Citi News.
“However, by the end of the vetting, just about only 25 people were disqualified. So we don’t have a huge number that have been disqualified across the country. So we are still within the 15,000 who are now our candidates for the election.”
He said about 480 candidates would contest their respective positions without opposition after the vetting exercise.
Candidates who have been declared unopposed are deemed elected under the party’s arrangements, while those facing competition will campaign ahead of the October polls.
The latest figure represents an increase from the 435 candidates reported to have gone unopposed at the close of nominations before the completion of the vetting process.
Mr Jibril said the large number of aspirants reflected heightened interest in constituency-level leadership positions within the party.
“This is also one of the largest numbers for the party where the interest is high,” he said.
He attributed part of the increased interest to the NDC’s return to government, noting that this is the first time the party is conducting constituency executive elections while in government.
The elections form part of the NDC’s wider internal reorganisation programme, which began at the branch level before moving to the constituency, regional and national structures.
The party opened nominations for the constituency executive elections from September 15 to 17, followed by the filing of nominations on September 23 and 24.
Vetting was conducted from September 25 to 27, while the appeals process is scheduled for September 29 to October 1. The constituency elections are scheduled for Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25, 2026.
The party is expected to elect executives across 17 categories of constituency positions, including chairman, vice chairman, secretary, deputy secretary, treasurer, deputy treasurer, organiser, deputy organiser, communication officer, deputy communication officer, youth organiser, deputy youth organiser, women’s organiser, deputy women’s organiser, Zongo Caucus Coordinator and other designated executive positions.
The nomination process was conducted online, with the party setting a GH¢200 fee for obtaining nomination forms. Filing fees varied according to the position being contested, while women and persons with disabilities were required to pay 50 per cent of the prescribed filing fees.
The process has not been entirely without challenges. The party temporarily suspended the vetting exercise in the Krowor Constituency and subsequently rescheduled it for September 29 at the NDC National Headquarters. The party did not state the reason for the suspension.
In some constituencies, the competition has already taken shape. In Ketu South in the Volta Region, for instance, 73 aspirants were cleared after 74 people filed nominations, with 2,963 delegates expected to vote in the constituency elections.
As campaigning gathers pace, party officials have urged aspirants to focus on issues, ideas and party development rather than personal attacks.
Deputy High Commissioner to Togo and outgoing NDC Ketu South Constituency Chairman, Bright Solomon Kumordzie, recently appealed to aspirants to conduct their campaigns in a manner that promotes unity and development within the party.
The NDC has also directed aspirants and constituency structures to adhere to its constitution, election guidelines and directives as the party works towards completing the constituency phase of its internal elections.
The regional executive elections are scheduled for November 14 and 15, followed by the national executive elections and National Congress in December.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
