News:
November 5, 2026
The Minority caucus has declared that neither the Member of Parliament for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, nor the opposition as a whole will be silenced by any act of intimidation, vowing to continue holding the government accountable despite what it describes as a coordinated campaign against them.
Speaking at a press conference led by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the caucus expressed solidarity with Jinapor, who they say was ordered to leave the chamber despite complying with the Speaker’s directive to withdraw a remark.
“Honourable Jinapor should not be silenced. The Minority should not be silenced,” Afenyo-Markin declared, adding that “we shall hold the government and its functionaries accountable as Ghanaians have entrusted us to do.”
The Minority Leader described the treatment of Jinapor as “disproportionate” and “an act of parliamentary bullying,” noting that the Damongo MP had expressly withdrawn his remarks upon the Speaker’s direction yet was still sanctioned.
“His compliance was rewarded by punishment. A request by a member for clarification does not by itself constitute defiance. An express withdrawal in compliance with a speaker’s directive deserves acknowledgement, not punishment,” he said.
Afenyo-Markin said the caucus had met with Jinapor to express solidarity with their colleague and their “collective opposition to treatment we considered unjust, needless, and high-handed.”
The Minority further alleged that opposition members have faced a pattern of “intimidation and harassment,” including arrests, detention, and what they described as “on-roads-based conditions.”
“We see in this pattern a coordinated autocratic abuse of power intended to exhaust our resolve and silence our voices,” Afenyo-Markin said. “Let it be said loudly here that we accept lawful accountability for every citizen, including ourselves. What we resist and will never desist from resisting is the conversion of state power into an instrument of political submission.”
He issued a defiant warning to those he accused of attempting to suppress the opposition: “We shall not be moved. We shall not be cowed. And we surely shall not be silenced.”
The Minority Leader invoked the party’s history, saying “cowardice is not in our DNA” and “intimidation cannot break our spirits.”
“Bullies cannot extinguish our fire to stand and fight for what is right without fright,” he said.
Afenyo-Markin also called on Jinapor to remain steadfast, urging the former minister to “come out and defend the very principles he stood for in opposition.”
“Honourable Jinapor, someone who could be described as Ablaka himself, was never silenced. In opposition, he was loud. He never compromised. Therefore, this is not the time to shield him,” he said.
The Minority Leader said the caucus would return to its duties “with steady hearts, with clear voices,” adding: “We have a broken resolve? No. This is the Minority. We are few, but famed in conviction. This is who we are.”
The press conference also addressed allegations that diplomatic passports are being sold for between $10,000 and $15,000 through the Foreign Ministry, which the Minority says it will pursue through its foreign affairs caucus.
“Where should these questions be raised if Parliament becomes inhospitable to them?” Afenyo-Markin asked, calling for parliamentary committees to investigate the matter and for the Foreign Minister to be heard.
The government has not yet responded to the allegations or the Minority’s claims of intimidation.
Ghanamps.com