North East NDC Regional Elections: Court Bars Five Nalerigu-Gambaga Co-opted Members Ahead of Saturday Polls

By – Sadat Dabo

The Nalerigu High Court has restrained five members co-opted by the Nalerigu/Gambaga Constituency Executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) from participating in the party’s North East Regional Executive Elections scheduled for November 14, 2026.

The court order, granted on November 13, 2026, follows an ex parte application for an interlocutory injunction filed by seven NDC members led by the Nalerigu/Gambaga Constituency Chairman, Safianu Akunloya Akukua.

The applicants are challenging the legality of the process through which five additional members were co-opted into the constituency executive structure, arguing that the procedure breached provisions of the party’s constitution.

Presiding over the case, Justice Samuel Bright Acquah granted the application after considering the affidavit, submissions of counsel and documents presented before the court, including the NDC constitution.

The five members affected by the injunction are Alhassan Iddrisu, Abdulai Mahamudu, Mahama Yussif, Mumuni Abdul Salimu and Naabu Tamanja.

In its ruling, the court indicated that the applicants had raised a triable issue concerning an alleged breach of the NDC constitution.

The judge also considered the urgency of the matter, particularly the fact that only one day remained before the scheduled regional elections, and held that judicial intervention was necessary to prevent possible unrest within the party.

According to the affidavit supporting the application, the NDC General Secretary, in a letter dated October 21, 2026, directed all constituencies to nominate five co-opted members and submit their names through their respective Regional Secretaries for onward submission to the party’s national headquarters in Accra.

The applicants, however, contend that the process adopted by the Nalerigu/Gambaga Constituency Executives in selecting the five members violated the party’s constitutional provisions, particularly Articles 16 and 49.

They argue that allowing the disputed members to participate in the regional elections would confer voting rights on individuals whose membership through the co-option process is being legally challenged.

The applicants further maintained that their concerns were not adequately addressed despite several attempts to resolve the disagreement through the party’s internal structures.

They reportedly petitioned the relevant party authorities and subsequently instructed their lawyers to write to the General Secretary through the party’s legal representatives.

However, they said they received no satisfactory response to their complaints, compelling them to seek judicial intervention ahead of the elections.

In seeking the injunction, the applicants argued that allowing the five members to vote could undermine the electoral rights of eligible party members and compromise the credibility of the regional electoral process.

They also maintained that suspending the participation of the five members until the court determines the legality of their co-option would cause less prejudice than allowing them to vote before the substantive dispute is resolved.

The court, after considering the application and the accompanying documents, granted the injunction pending further proceedings.

BACKGROUND TO THE NALERIGU/GAMBAGA NDC DISPUTE

The latest court action represents another major development in the growing internal disagreement within the Nalerigu/Gambaga NDC Constituency over the co-option of five additional constituency executive members.

On November 10, 2026, GBC URA Radio, in a report published on gbcuraonline.com, reported that some constituency executives had threatened demonstrations and legal action over an alleged imposed co-opted members’ list ahead of the regional elections.

In a subsequent report published on November 11, 2026, GBC URA Radio reported that 15 constituency executives, led by Vice Chairman Abdulai Tahiru Yampasia, defended the co-option process, insisting that the five-member list was legitimate and had been approved through the party’s recognised structures.

The group argued that the decision was reached by the remaining executives after the Constituency Chairman and eight other members allegedly walked out of a meeting convened on October 29, 2026.

The two opposing positions have since deepened the disagreement over the constitutional validity of the co-option process.

With the latest injunction, the controversy has now moved from the party’s internal structures to the courtroom, placing the participation of the five disputed members in the November 14 regional elections on hold.

The substantive legal dispute over the legality of their co-option is yet to be determined by the court.

Source : gbcuraonline.com