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

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has warned political leaders against attempting to influence or shield the interdicted headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School, Zakaria Abdulai, who is under investigation over allegations of sexual misconduct.

Mr Bagbin described attempts by some politicians to support the embattled headmaster as the actions of “cheap men”, insisting that the matter must be handled with the seriousness it deserves.

Addressing Parliament on Tuesday, November 10, he expressed concern that some political figures appeared to be downplaying the allegations, while others were reportedly backing 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.

The Speaker assured that Parliament was keeping a close watch on the matter and would follow developments to ensure justice, particularly for the students allegedly affected.

He cautioned that political leaders who sought to interfere in the process would face serious consequences.

“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.

Mr Bagbin also called on the Attorney General to consider a review of existing legislation to provide for tougher sanctions against perpetrators of sexual abuse.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has disclosed that investigations into the allegations at Obuasi Senior High Technical School are about 85 per cent complete.

According to him, findings gathered so far suggest that there may be a prima facie case against the interdicted headmaster.