Damongo MP Abu Jinapor Ordered Out of Parliament Over Passport Claim

Damongo MP Samuel Abu Jinapor was escorted out of Parliament’s chamber on Tuesday, November 3, after a clash with Speaker Alban Bagbin over his claim that diplomatic passports were being sold, according to GBC, Citi Newsroom and other national outlets.

The incident happened at the first sitting of Parliament’s Third Meeting of the Second Session. During a debate on diplomatic passports, which are authorised by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Jinapor said he had evidence that such passports were being sold for between $10,000 and $50,000, Citi Newsroom reported. He called for an investigation.

Majority Leader James Agalga challenged the claim and asked the Damongo MP to back it up or withdraw it. The Speaker then directed Mr Jinapor to provide evidence or retract the statement.

Accounts of what followed differ slightly. GBC reported that Mr Jinapor refused to withdraw the allegation before a Parliamentary Marshal escorted him out. Citi Newsroom reported that he held his position at first and later withdrew it, but the Speaker still ordered him out for failing to comply “promptly” with the directive.

The Minority caucus walked out of the chamber in solidarity with him. Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin described the Speaker’s decision as “harsh, high-handed and unfair,” according to GBC.

The clash is part of a wider dispute between the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. The NPP has questioned service passports issued to six individuals and has also challenged the reported GH¢49.72 million spent evacuating 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa. The party wants the minister to resign or be dismissed. Mr Ablakwa has denied financial wrongdoing over the evacuation and has called for an independent audit of the spending. The passport allegation raised in Parliament has not been substantiated publicly.

Mr Jinapor has represented Damongo, the capital of the Savannah Region, since 2021 and served as Minister for Lands and Natural Resources under the previous NPP government. He is now the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, which oversees the ministry at the centre of the dispute.

Source: GBC — https://www.gbcghanaonline.com/news/politics/abu-jinapor-ejected/2026/; Citi Newsroom — https://www.citinewsroom.com/2026/11/minority-stages-walkout-after-bagbin-orders-abu-jinapor-out-of-chamber/