The Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has accepted responsibility for the chaos that erupted during parliamentary proceedings on Thursday, January 30, 2025.
During his appearance before the adhoc committee probing the chaos on Monday, February 10, 2025, Mr. Dafeamekpor expressed regret over the incident, acknowledging the damage it had caused to Parliament’s image.
As one of the four MPs suspended over the incident, Dafeamekpor said he accepted his punishment in good faith, admitting that he was not proud of his actions.
“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 attributed the chaos to Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh, accusing him of insisting on his own modus operandi.
“If my counterpart [Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh] was not minded on his insistent on his modus operandi, we wouldn’t have experienced that, but he insisted. Once they decided to destroy tables, raise tables what could I have done just to suffer for the punishment?”
“A lot of things need to be streamlined,” he remarked, emphasizing that a lack of consensus was the root cause of the chaos on January 30.
Background
The chaos on January 30, 2025, ensued when the Minority resisted the vetting of Okudzeto Ablakwa and Kwabena Mintah Akandoh. The standoff escalated into a physical clash between MPs, resulting in the destruction of tables and microphones.
Following the incident, four MPs were suspended, prompting the Minority to walk out. This left the Majority to proceed with the vetting of Ablakwa and other nominees on January 31. Notably, the clash occurred after Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin had already subjected Ablakwa to extensive questioning.
The Speaker, Alban Bagbin established a committee aimed to examine the events surrounding the disruption on January 30, which resulted in a clash between the Minority and Majority over the vetting timing and the destruction of equipment.
The committee, chaired by Ho West MP Emmanuel Bedzrah, includes members Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, Gizella Akushika Tetteh-Agbotui, Abena Osei Asare, Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Vincent Oppong Asamoah, and Bede Anwataazuma Ziedeng. It has been given a 10-day deadline to report its findings and recommendations.
However, the minority members of the committee have decided not to be part of the investigations anymore, citing bias on the chairman’s part.
The committee had created a WhatsApp platform to solicit information from the public.
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