Only ‘cheap men’ will shield Obuasi SHS headmaster – Speaker Bagbin

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has condemned alleged attempts by some political figures to protect the interdicted headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School, Zakaria Abdulai, amid ongoing investigations into sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Describing the conduct as the actions of “cheap men”, Mr Bagbin cautioned political leaders against interfering in the matter, warning that anyone who attempts to compromise the process would face serious consequences.

Addressing Parliament on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, the Speaker said he was disappointed by the reaction of some politicians, who, in his view, had downplayed the allegations and reportedly sought to support the headmaster's bid for a leadership position.

“It’s only cheap men who do that. You know? Yes. Please, let’s move away from that and do what is right. There is no society that has developed, to the best of my knowledge, by doing what is wrong. All the countries that you visit and you see they have developed; they have values that they treasure: integrity and honesty, very high,” he said.

Mr Bagbin stressed that Parliament was monitoring the case and would continue to follow developments to ensure that justice was served, particularly for the students allegedly affected.

“What saddened me was the attitude of politicians. They treated it as if nothing happened. And people even dared to try to support the suspect to contest for a leadership position. That is how offensive it has gone. And we should not encourage such things at all,” he stated.

He warned that political leaders who attempted to undermine the investigations should not expect the matter to be treated lightly, insisting that those responsible must be held accountable.

“Some of us are still on the lookout. We are watching as to how this case is going to end. And those involved, particularly political leaders, if you joke with it, will punish you seriously because of this single case. We should take it very seriously. Leadership is a service, it is a sacrifice,” he said.

The Speaker also called on the Attorney General to consider reviewing existing legislation to introduce tougher penalties for sexual abuse offences as part of efforts to strengthen deterrence.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has disclosed that investigations into the allegations at the school are 85 per cent complete, with evidence gathered so far pointing to a possible prima facie case against the headmaster.

Mr Iddrisu said the committee established by the Ministry of Education to investigate the matter was nearing the end of its work, while the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) was separately handling the criminal aspects, including allegations of sexual assault involving some students.