The deadline set by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for government appointees intending to contest positions at the party’s next national congress has officially expired, potentially narrowing the field ahead of the party’s internal elections scheduled for December 2026.
On January 29, 2026, NDC General Secretary Fifi Kwetey announced that party members serving in specified government government positions would be required to resign at least six clear months before the opening of nominations if they wished to contest for national executive positions within the party.
Mr. Kwetey said the directive, issued under Article 54 of the party’s
constitution, is intended to ensure a level-playing field for all aspirants seeking national executive positions.
The directive applies to Ministers and Deputy Ministers, Chief Executive Officers, Managing Directors and their deputies, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), as well as individuals holding equivalent government appointments.
However, the directive expressly exempts chairpersons and members of governing boards, as well as individuals serving in equivalent board positions. Consequently, holding a board appointment alone do not trigger the six-month resignation requirement.
The NDC has scheduled its national congress for December 19, 2026, with nominations for the internal elections expected to close on November 9, 2026.
In line with the party’s six-month requirement, affected government appointees would have been required to resign by June 2026 to remain eligible to their file nominations.
July 19, 2026 marks exactly six months before the date of the National Congress.
Despite the expiry of the resignation deadline, none of the affected NDC national executives currently serving in government has publicly announced their resignation.
Their decision to remain in office may suggest that they do not intend to seek re-election to their respective party positions, or that they are anticipating a change to the party’s current rules.
Based on the current list of NDC national executives who also hold government appointments, a number of officials fall within the category of persons affected by the directive if they intend to contest for re-election to the party’s office. The implication is broader than the current list of national executives. The implications of the directive extend beyond the current national executives.
Under the existing rules, ministers, deputy ministers, chief executive officers, managing directors and their deputies, metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives, and persons in analogous government positions, would be ineligible to contest for party office unless they had resigned within the stipulated six-month period.
However, the matter is not entirely settled.
On July 1, 2026, an NDC member filed a case at the High Court challenging the six-month resignation requirement announced by the party. The case remains pending, and its eventual outcome could affect the interpretation or enforcement of the directive.
Until a court rules otherwise, the party’s announced position remains that affected officeholders were required to resign at least six clear months before filing nominations.
In practical terms, this means that government appointees who who remain in office have, under the current directive, effectively ruled themselves out of contesting for national executive positions at the December 2026 National congress.
The development also suggests that at least 8 current national executives serving in government may not to seek re-election unless the party’s directive is amended or successfully challenged.
