Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, the Majority Chief Whip, has acknowledged that he is to blame for the mayhem that broke out during the Thursday, January 30, 2025, legislative proceedings.
Mr. Dafeamekpor apologized for the incident and acknowledged the harm it had done to Parliament’s reputation when he appeared before the ad hoc committee looking into the pandemonium on Monday, February 10, 2025.
Dafeamekpor, one of the four MPs punished over the event, acknowledged that he was not proud of his behavior and stated that he accepted his sentence in good faith.
“Well, not at all. I take responsibility, so when my punishment came, I took it in good faith.”
“Others disagreed that if punishment were to be meted out, it ought not to be me. But I might agree in principle that you need to punish the leaders for what happened. Consensus building failed for that night [January 30].”
He blamed Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh for the mayhem, saying he insisted on his own way of doing things.
We wouldn’t have gone through that if my counterpart, Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh, hadn’t been obstinate about his method of operation, but he persisted. What could I have done to deserve the punishment after they made the decision to raise and destroy tables?
He said, “A lot of things need to be streamlined,” highlighting the fact that the disruption on January 30 was mostly caused by a lack of agreement.
When Okudzeto Ablakwa and Kwabena Mintah Akandoh’s vetting was refused by the Minority, mayhem broke out on January 30, 2025. Tables and microphones were destroyed as the standoff turned into a violent altercation between MPs.
The Minority walked out after four MPs were suspended after the incident. On January 31, the Majority was left to continue screening Ablakwa and the other nominees. Notably, the altercation happened after Ablakwa had previously been the target of intense interrogation by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
A committee was formed by Speaker Alban Bagbin to investigate the circumstances of the January 30 interruption that led to a dispute between the Majority and Minority about the time of the screening and the destruction of equipment.
Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, Gizella Akushika Tetteh-Agbotui, Abena Osei Asare, Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Vincent Oppong Asamoah, and Bede Anwataazuma Ziedeng are among the members of the committee, which is chaired by Ho West MP Emmanuel Bedzrah. It has been given ten days to present its conclusions and suggestions.
However, claiming that the chairman is biased, the committee’s minority members have chosen to no longer participate in the investigations.
To gather information from the public, the committee set up a WhatsApp platform.
Source: newsthemegh.com