The Member of Parliament for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, was escorted out of Parliament’s Chamber by a Parliamentary Marshal after refusing to withdraw an allegation that Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa was involved in the sale of diplomatic passports.
The November 3, incident occurred during the first sitting of Parliament’s Third Meeting of the Second Session, following a disagreement over the allegation against the Minister.
After his accusation, Majority Leader James Agalga objected, suggesting that the claim was not supported by facts.
On the back of this, the Ranking Member of Parliament for the Foreign Affairs Committee was asked by the Speaker to withdraw the allegation and was removed from the Chamber by a Parliamentary Marshal.
Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin described the Speaker’s decision as “harsh, high-handed and unfair.”
The confrontation comes amid growing criticism from the Minority over the issuance of Ghanaian diplomatic and service passports, with the caucus raising concerns about whether some beneficiaries met the requirements for obtaining the official travel documents.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has particularly questioned the issuance of service passports to six individuals whose official positions, it claims, were either inaccurately described or did not exist.
The party has petitioned the United States Embassy in Ghana to suspend recognition of affected passports pending an independent verification of their eligibility.
Earlier on Tuesday, supporters of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), led by its youth wing, staged a demonstration in Accra dubbed ‘Yɛgye Yɛn Sika’, demanding accountability over the expenditure on the evacuation of Ghanaians from South Africa.
The protesters questioned the reported GH¢49.72 million expenditure on the evacuation of 1,964 Ghanaians, citing alleged discrepancies in payment records, duplicate entries and gaps in supporting documentation.
They also raised concerns about the issuance of diplomatic and service passports, demanding greater transparency over the eligibility of recipients and the authorities responsible for approving the documents.
The NPP has called for the resignation of Mr Ablakwa or his dismissal by President John Dramani Mahama, arguing that the allegations surrounding the evacuation expenditure require an independent investigation.
The Foreign Affairs Minister has rejected allegations of financial wrongdoing and maintained that the evacuation expenditure should be subjected to an independent audit.
The parliamentary incident adds another dimension to the growing disagreement between the Majority and Minority over the Minister’s handling of the evacuation exercise and the diplomatic passport controversy.
