Ghana Parliament Suspends Four Lawmakers Following Violent Clash During Ministerial Screening

Ghana Parliament Suspends Four Lawmakers Following Violent Clash During Ministerial Screening

The Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has suspended four lawmakers for two weeks after a violent brawl erupted during a ministerial screening session…READ MORE…

According to reports, the altercation occurred on Thursday evening when members of the ministerial vetting committee, responsible for assessing nominees from the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), clashed during the proceedings.

The situation escalated to the point where furniture in the parliamentary chamber was damaged.

The committee, which includes representatives from various political parties, is tasked with reviewing ministerial nominees’ qualifications. However, tensions flared when NDC lawmakers accused their counterparts from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of deliberately prolonging the process with excessively lengthy questions.

A key flashpoint was the questioning of Samuel Nartey George, the NDC’s nominee for communications minister, who was subjected to more than five hours of interrogation. This lengthy session angered NDC members, who viewed it as a deliberate attempt to stall proceedings for political reasons.

The disagreement soon spiraled into chaos, with lawmakers overturning tables, microphones, and engaging in physical confrontations.

On Friday, Speaker Bagbin strongly condemned the incident, calling it a disgrace to the institution of Parliament and an act of contempt.

As a consequence, he announced the suspension of four lawmakers—Rockson Nelson Etse Kwame Dafeamakpor, Frank Annor-Dompreh, Alhassan Sulemana Tampuuli, and Jerry Ahmed Shaib—for their involvement in the violence.

Additionally, Bagbin established a seven-member committee to investigate the incident, with findings and recommendations expected within 10 days.

He further stated that the cost of repairing damaged parliamentary property would be deducted from the salaries of those responsible.

This marks the third instance of violence in Ghana’s Parliament within the last four years. Similar altercations occurred in 2021 during the election of a new Speaker and later that year during a heated debate on the electronic transaction levy bill.

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