The Member of Parliament for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, was escorted out of Parliament on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, following a disagreement with Speaker Alban Bagbin over allegations involving the sale of Ghanaian diplomatic passports.

The incident occurred during the first sitting of Parliament’s Third Meeting of the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament.

Mr Jinapor, who is the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, alleged that diplomatic passports were being sold for amounts ranging between US$10,000 and US$50,000.

He called for Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to appear before Parliament and explain the allegations.

Speaker orders Abu Jinapor to withdraw claim

The Majority Leader, James Agalga, objected to the allegation, arguing that the MP had not provided evidence to support such a serious claim.

Speaker Alban Bagbin subsequently directed Mr Jinapor to withdraw his statement, indicating that he could raise the matter again when he had credible evidence.

However, the Damongo MP maintained his position, leading to further exchanges in the Chamber.

The Speaker then instructed the Parliamentary Marshal to escort him out of the House for defying the directive.

The incident briefly disrupted parliamentary proceedings before the House resumed its business.

Minority MPs stage walkout

Following the Speaker’s order, Minority MPs also walked out of the Chamber in solidarity with their colleague.

Addressing journalists after the incident, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin described the Speaker’s action as harsh, high-handed and unfair.

He maintained that the Minority supported Mr Jinapor’s decision to raise concerns about the alleged sale of diplomatic passports and called for the Foreign Affairs Minister to account to Parliament.

Abu Jinapor responds

In a statement following the incident, Mr Jinapor said his intervention was intended to bring serious allegations into the public domain and demand accountability.

He maintained that the issue had implications for Ghana’s international reputation and the integrity of the country’s diplomatic passport system.

He also expressed gratitude to his Minority colleagues for walking out in solidarity with him.

Mr Jinapor said respect for parliamentary authority and the pursuit of accountability were not mutually exclusive.

Background to the diplomatic passport controversy

The parliamentary confrontation comes amid growing disagreements between the Majority and Minority over the issuance of Ghanaian diplomatic and service passports.

The Minority has raised concerns about the eligibility of some individuals who reportedly received service passports and has called for greater transparency in the process.

The New Patriotic Party has also questioned the issuance of service passports to six individuals whose official positions it says were inaccurately described or did not exist.

The latest incident has further intensified the disagreement between the two sides of Parliament over the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the administration of Ghana’s official travel documents.

As of Wednesday, November 4, no public response from the Foreign Affairs Minister addressing the specific passport-sale allegation had been reported.

Also Read: Asante Akyem North Mp Extradition Hearing

Source:Ghana News Page