Abu Jinapor was so disrespectful towards Bagbin in Parliament – Toobu recounts

Member of Parliament for Wa West, Peter Lanchene Toobu, has accused Damongo MP, Samuel Abu Jinapor, of showing disrespect to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, during the proceedings that led to his removal from the Chamber on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

He said the Speaker made several attempts to get Abu Jinapor to withdraw or reconsider his comments about alleged payments for diplomatic passports, but the Damongo MP ignored his guidance.

The controversy started after Abu Jinapor alleged in Parliament that diplomatic passports were being sold for amounts ranging from $10,000 to $50,000, prompting a disagreement between him and the Speaker.

Bagbin subsequently directed Abu Jinapor to leave the Chamber. The decision triggered a walkout by the Minority caucus in solidarity with their colleague.

In a report by citinewsroom.com on November 7, 2026, Toobu said he had observed the exchanges and believed the Speaker was attempting to give Abu Jinapor an opportunity to reconsider his remarks and return to the debate.

According to him, the Speaker offered the Damongo MP the option of withdrawing his statement or having it expunged from the parliamentary record so he could return later and make his submission after adequate preparation.

Abu Jinapor speaks after Tuesday's 'showdown' with Speaker of Parliament

“The Speaker wanted to save him and the Speaker said, ‘You know what, I know that you will want to go and come back so that when you come back fully prepared, you can still make this statement. So would you want to withdraw or it will be expunged from the record?” Toobu recounted.

He further explained that the live broadcast of parliamentary proceedings had made it more difficult to contain controversial statements, even when they were subsequently expunged from the Hansard.

Toobu alleged that Abu Jinapor deliberately ignored the Speaker's guidance because he wanted to embellish his initial allegation and generate media attention.

“One thing that is dangerous about this current Parliament is the fact that, in the past, you could expunge things from the record and the Hansard would not capture it and that ends it, but today, it is live so the Speaker was guiding him.

“And you know what my brother Abu did? He was so disrespectful to the Speaker. I was watching him. What Abu intended to do was to embellish the statement that he made and create content out of it and spin it into the media domain,” he said.

MRA/EB

SayItLoud: Newly constructed road turns Nsakina into a nightmare whenever it rains