Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has insisted that he will not be intimidated by any parliamentary caucus in carrying out his disciplinary responsibilities, following a walkout by the Minority Caucus over the removal of Damongo MP Samuel Abu Jinapor from the Chamber.
Mr Bagbin described the Minority’s decision to abandon proceedings as “completely wrong”, arguing that the action was an unnecessary response to his directive against one of its members.
Addressing Parliament on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, the Speaker maintained that his decisions would be guided by what he considered right and in the national interest, regardless of pressure from either the Majority or Minority.
“Please, there is no way Mr Speaker, seated here, can be intimidated by any caucus, and it will not happen. I will do what I believe is right and in the national interest, simple and short,” he stated.
The Minority Caucus, led by Alexander Afenyo-Markin, staged a walkout on Tuesday after Speaker Bagbin directed Samuel Abu Jinapor, the MP for Damongo, to leave the Chamber during proceedings following a disagreement over comments he made about the alleged sale of Ghanaian diplomatic passports.
Mr Bagbin questioned why the Minority MPs chose to leave collectively instead of allowing parliamentary proceedings to continue.
“There was actually, from my perspective as the Speaker, no need for the Minority to decide to flout my directive collectively because a member of them had been ordered to be sent out of the House,” he said.
He further explained that the Minority’s sudden departure, without prior notice or explanation, prevented him from taking additional steps concerning Mr Jinapor’s comments.
According to the Speaker, he had intended to consult the Office of the Clerk on whether the Damongo MP’s remarks should be removed from the official parliamentary records.
“That was completely wrong and because they left without notice, without a word, I could not even follow up to call on the Office of the Clerk to expunge what he (Mr Jinapor) said,” Mr Bagbin explained.
He added that the incident would be captured in Parliament’s official records.
The confrontation followed claims by Mr Jinapor, who is the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, that Ghanaian diplomatic passports were allegedly being sold for amounts ranging from US$10,000 to US$50,000.
He called for an investigation into the matter, insisting that he had credible evidence to support his claims.
“As we speak today, there is evidence, unimpeachable evidence, that today diplomatic passports are being sold, Mr Speaker,” Mr Jinapor told the House.
The allegation prompted objections from Majority Leader James Agalga, who argued that such a serious claim required supporting evidence.
He urged the Speaker to direct Mr Jinapor to substantiate his allegation or withdraw it from the parliamentary record.
Mr Jinapor, however, maintained his position, telling the House: “Mr Speaker, I have evidence. That allegation is out there.”
The disagreement eventually resulted in the Speaker directing the Damongo MP to leave the Chamber, prompting the Minority’s walkout.
