NDC General Secretary aspirant Stephen Donkor has filed a lawsuit at the High Court in Accra against the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its Director of Elections and IT, Mahdi Gibril, after he was left off the list of successful nominees for the party’s December 19 national executive elections despite paying the GH¢80,000 nomination fee.
Donkor says changes made to his login details on the party’s online nomination portal stopped him from completing his nomination forms, and he wants the court to declare his exclusion unlawful.
He was hoping to challenge incumbent General Secretary Fifi Fiavi Kwetey at the party’s National Delegates Congress. The suit was first reported on November 12, 2026, and his lawyer, Martin Kpebu, spoke further about the case to Joy News on Friday, November 13.
Why Stephen Donkor is suing the NDC
According to the writ, Donkor paid the GH¢80,000 fee and began his application through the NDC’s online portal.
On the evening of November 6, 2026, he says he discovered that his login credentials had been changed without his knowledge or authorisation.
He says the change prevented him from retrieving and completing Forms A and C, which he needed to finalise his nomination. Nominations for the national executive positions ran from November 7 to 9.
NDC General Secretary lawsuit: reliefs Donkor is seeking
Donkor is asking the High Court for several orders, as reported by Citi Newsroom and 3News:
- A declaration that his exclusion is unlawful and contrary to Article 23 of the 1992 Constitution, which requires administrative bodies to act “fairly and reasonably”.
- An order setting aside the decision that left him off the list of successful nominees.
- An order restoring his access to the nomination portal, or giving him another way to complete his application.
- An order directing the NDC and Mr Gibril to process his nomination under the party’s electoral guidelines, taking the portal problem into account.
- A direction that he be vetted for the General Secretary position once his nomination is complete.
Donkor says he is ready to submit the outstanding forms and appear before the vetting committee as soon as access is restored.
What Martin Kpebu said about the case
Speaking to Joy News, lawyer Martin Kpebu said his client’s access was reset without his consent and that efforts to get Mr Gibril to fix the problem failed.
He said a lawyer went with Donkor to the NDC headquarters before nominations closed, but no help was given. Kpebu also disputed suggestions that Donkor did not try to submit his forms in time.
Kpebu said the legal team wrote to the party without a response, and also sent letters to the party’s National Council of Elders and President John Dramani Mahama in a bid to settle the matter out of court. “He’s left with no option but to proceed to court,” he said.
NDC elections chief Mahdi Gibril rejects Donkor’s claims
The party has disputed Donkor’s account. In a Citi News interview on November 9, Mahdi Gibril said the Elections Committee had no reason to tamper with any aspirant’s PIN and accused Donkor of “going to town with misinformation”.
“When the PIN was changed, it indicated and gave a new PIN on his phone,” Gibril said, arguing that Donkor could have continued the process. He added that Elections Committee staff had helped Donkor file his nomination online when he visited the party office.
Gibril also said that PIN and identification details are personal, that the system notifies each candidate of account changes, and that paying the fee alone does not complete a nomination. At the time of writing, the NDC had not publicly responded to the lawsuit itself.
How the case fits into the NDC national executive elections
The lawsuit adds to tension around the NDC’s internal contests. The party this week disqualified 23 aspirants from the national executive elections, while some big names have also stepped aside, including former National Chairman Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, who withdrew from the NDC National Chairmanship race.
Donkor’s earlier claims had already raised questions about transparency, with his camp suggesting the process was being used to let Fifi Kwetey run unopposed, a claim the party has rejected.
What the lawsuit means for NDC delegates
For delegates, the case leaves open the question of whether the General Secretary race will be contested. If the court rules for Donkor, the party could be ordered to vet him and put him on the ballot.
If the court rules against him, or the case is not decided before December 19, the current list of cleared nominees is expected to stand.
What happens next
The NDC and Mr Gibril are expected to respond to the writ in court. No hearing date has been made public.
Any ruling before the December 19 National Delegates Congress could affect the General Secretary contest and the party’s election timetable.
Key details at a glance
- Plaintiff: Stephen Donkor, NDC General Secretary aspirant
- Defendants: NDC and Director of Elections and IT Mahdi Gibril
- Court: High Court, Accra
- Nomination fee paid: GH¢80,000
- Login change discovered: evening of November 6, 2026
- Nomination window: November 7–9, 2026
- NDC National Delegates Congress: December 19, 2026
FAQs
Why did Stephen Donkor sue the NDC?
He says his nomination portal login was changed without his consent, stopping him from completing Forms A and C, and he was then left off the list of successful General Secretary nominees.
Who is the NDC General Secretary now?
Fifi Fiavi Kwetey is the incumbent NDC General Secretary, and Donkor had hoped to challenge him at the December 19 congress.
When are the NDC national executive elections?
The NDC’s National Delegates Congress to elect national executives is scheduled for December 19, 2026.
Stephen Donkor’s suit puts the NDC General Secretary race before the High Court weeks before the December 19 congress. He says a portal login change kept him off the ballot after he paid GH¢80,000; the party says a new PIN was sent to his phone and he could have finished the process. The court’s decision will settle whether he gets vetted.
