Deputy Minority Whip and Member of Parliament for Tolon, Habib Iddrisu, caused commotion in Parliament on Friday after he claimed the Minister for Finance would have been attacked by angry tomato and onion sellers had he visited markets before the presentation of the 2026 Mid-Year Budget review on Thursday.
According to the Deputy Leader, he had information that the traders were angrily waiting for Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson on his usual market visits before the presentation of budgets.
He stated that the Finance Minister was lucky he did not go on this visit because the angry tomato and onion sellers would have attacked him.
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He stated, “This morning I was getting a report from the market. You know normally the Finance Minister goes to the market before coming to Parliament. The tomato sellers were very angry, waiting for him to come to the market. He couldn’t attend.”
“The onion sellers were equally waiting for the Finance Minister to come to the market. He couldn’t go.”
According to the Tolon MP, the Finance Minister had instead been moving from one television station to another to explain the government’s economic policies and the contents of the Mid-Year Budget Review.
He stressed that the Minister was fortunate not to have visited the market, stating, “The Minister is very lucky that he didn’t go to the market before coming to this chamber. Probably he would have been attacked by the market women because they are very angry.”
Majority leader Mahama Ayariga, however, took exception to the Minority Whip’s claims about the angry tomato and onion sellers and demanded that Habib Iddrisu withdraw his remarks and apologise, insisting that the conduct was unbecoming of Parliament.
“You must withdraw that. You must withdraw that and apologise.”
The Majority Leader cautioned against turning proceedings in the chamber into a platform for inappropriate exchanges.
“Please, this is getting out of hand. This is irresponsible behaviour. Please, this is a serious House. This is not a place where we come and joke like clowns.”
Habib Iddrisu denies saying traders would attack Ato Forson
Following a reaction from the Majority side, Habib Iddrisu returned to the issue and insisted that his remarks had been misunderstood and that he had never said the angry tomato and onion sellers intended to attack the Finance Minister.
He explained that his point was simply that the traders were waiting for the Minister to visit the market and that he had not made any statement beyond that.
“What I said, and I’ll repeat exactly what I said, Majority Leader, is that on many occasions before the Minister responsible for Finance appears before this House, he has visited markets before appearing.”
Habib Iddrisu said he had information that the traders were waiting for the Finance Minister but maintained that the interpretation of his comments was a matter for others.
“I said this morning, I have information that if he had visited the markets, the tomato sellers, the onion sellers were waiting for him. As to how you decode it is your own thing, but I never said anything more than that. I said they were waiting for him and nothing more than that.”
Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor intervenes
As the exchange between the two sides intensified, Deputy Speaker Bernard Ahiafor stepped in to restore order and remind lawmakers of the need to respect parliamentary procedure.
The Deputy Speaker acknowledged that MPs enjoy constitutional immunity in respect of statements made in the chamber but cautioned that comments can still become matters of parliamentary privilege.
“I have cause to always remind members that we have the constitutional immunity about whatever you say in this chamber. However, whatever you say can become a subject matter of privileges.”
Watch the banter: