Author: nii Ghanamps

The Majority Chief Whip Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor when he appeared on Monday, February 10, 2025 before the Ad Hoc Committee investigating the chaos that occurred at the Appointment Committee said he is not proud of what occurred at the Appointment Committee sitting and takes full responsibility.

According to him others disagree that if punishment was supposed to be meted out it should not be him, but I agree in principle that you need to punish the leaders, he told the Committee.

He further told the Committee chairman Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah that consensus building failed for that night.

He also affirmed that if his counterpart was minded of his way of doing things that night, they would not have experienced the chaos, and insisted that ones they decided to disrupt and raise chairs, “what can I do, what could I have done?” He queried.

Mr. Dafeamekpor further indicated that there is a lot of learn from the public hearing of the Ad Hoc Committee and going forward Members of Parliament would be guided from whatever recommendations the Committee will give. “A lot of things need to be streamlined from now onwards”, he stated.

When the Chairman further enquire that if giving-in to the demand of the Minority side on the committee could have averted all these problems, he said “there is a reasonableness to everything; we are serving people, we had scheduled nominees for a week, it was no fault of theirs that the Wednesday, January 29, 2025, was truncated”, adding that the Wednesday program should not have affect those who were supposed to appear on Thursday, January 30, 2025. So if the Committee was adding on to their work, those originally slated for Thursday, needed to be attended to. “When you want to vary previous agreement, you do not go physical, rather we should engage” he told the Committee.

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Chairman of the Ad-hoc committee probing the vetting chaos, Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah has cautioned the Minority Members of Parliament that the committee will invoke the constitutional provision or the standing orders of Parliament if they don’t come to testify on Monday, February 10, 2025.

The Minority MPs have boycotted the committee’s hearing, insisting that the hearing should be made in-camera and not a public one.

Speaking to journalists after the second day of hearing on Friday, the Ho West MP and Chairman of the Committee noted that he is yet to identify the reasons why the Minority MPs have failed to honour the Committee’s invite to testify despite the Speaker’s directive for investigations to proceed.

“We are waiting for them to testify. I’m not bias, we all see what we’ve done here and so I’m surprised that they say I’m bias. We’re waiting for them to testify on Monday, if they are not here on Monday, we will invoke the constitutional provision as well as the standing orders,” he said.

The Ho West MP dismissed claims by the Minority Caucus that he’s being prejudicial and bias in his work.

“I am surprised because he was here with us on the first day so I don’t know where the accusation of bias is coming from so maybe he has to identify where I was bias,” he added.

He further revealed that Atiwa East MP and a Minority member on the committee, Abena Osei-Asare was present at the Committee’s meeting on Thursday, February 6, 2025; so he’s surprised that the Minority MPs still did not appear to testify before the Committee.

He noted that the Committee will proceed with its hearing until the Speaker says otherwise.

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In a recent interview on TV3, the chairman of the committee investigating the chaos that erupted at the ministerial vetting, Emmanuel Bedzrah made startling revelations about the incident.

 The chairman disclosed that an individual, believed to be not a parliamentary staff member or a Member of Parliament (MP), was directly involved in the disruption that occurred during the vetting session.

According to the chairman, the individual in question was present at the vetting to support an MP who was undergoing the process: and “he was directly involved in the lifting of the table”.

Meanwhile, he emphasized that the individual has since been identified and is prepared to testify before the committee as part of the ongoing investigation.

Mr Bedzrah, however assured the public that the committee is committed to uncovering the full truth and ensuring accountability for those responsible for the chaos.

Further details are expected to emerge as the investigation progresses, with the committee poised to take decisive action based on the findings.

Immediate past Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Samuel Abu Jinapor has denied calling his colleague Member of Parliament for Klottey Korle as “daughter of murder” as making rounds on social media.

According to him anyone who follows his career and involvement in Ghanaian public life in all modesty will confirm that he does not speak in that nature, “the words which are being falsely attributed to me, they are not my words; I will never use such words, that is not the way I speak”.

In an interview on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, he pointed out that he does not know such words have been uttered; I found out this morning when this was trending in a video that was brought to my attention. “What I can say to that is it’s totally false, it cannot be correct”.

“Again, anyone who has followed my career will know Abu will not speak this way and I do not speak across the House when I am in Parliament. When I have anything to say, I catch the eye of the Speaker to speak; I did not follow the proceedings which emanated into this unfortunate statement.”

“I have huge respect for late former president Rawlings, anyone who knows me very well knows that, when he was alive, he took a lot of interest in me and I visited him multiple times.

Furthermore, when he passed, on the floor of Parliament in the previous parliament the one who read the tribute in memory of the former President Rawlings, Haruna Iddrisu then

Minority Leader that was the first time I spoke, I was then a first- timer, I was the one who contributed after the Minority Leader.”
When his children set up his foundation of tree planting, I was the guest of Honour; its on record what I said about the former president, I have a personal relation with former President Rawlings and respect the family particularly the daughter and my colleague Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings; I will not say such a thing, it will not even cross my mind, he added.

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John Dumelo, the Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon and a first timer in Ghana’s legislature has been deputy Minister –designate for Food and Agriculture while Alhassan Suyibu Suhuyini is also heading to Roads and Highways Ministry as deputy.

They are among host of others whose names the President John Dramani Mahama has submitted to the Parliament through the Speaker for prior approval.

The President has also nominated Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba as Minister of State, Public Sector Reforms.

See below the full list of deputy Ministerial nominees

The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon Alban Kingsford Bagbin has with immediate effect lifted the suspension of the four Members of Parliament, Frank Annor-Dompreh, Rockson Dafeamekpor Alhassan Tampuuli and Ahmed Jerry after the Minority Leader in a statement apologized to the Speaker for the conduct of his colleagues that resulted in the chaos.
On the part of the Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga, he agreed with the Minority Leader and urged the Speaker to temper justice with mercy.

Alexander Kwamena Afenyo Markin indicated that as Minority they have collaborated to pass all the forty-two nominees of President John Dramani Mahama, and the Minority cannot take over the powers of the Speaker.
“We will not litigate this and as Minority Leader I take full responsibility of the chaos and appeal to the Speaker to resend his decision”.

According to the Speaker, so far the suspended MPs have complied with his order and thanked the security in Parliament for enforcing the order of the Speaker but the Special Committee will continue to do its work.

The Rt. Hon Speaker further added that since last week Friday, January 30, 2025 he stopped referring to Members of Parliament as Honourables and only restored that today, Tuesday, February 4, 2025.

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The Minority in parliament has rejected the Speaker Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin’s suspension of three of their members; Hon. Frank Annoh-Dompreh (Nsawam-Adoagyiri), Hon, Alhassan Sulemana Tampuli (Gushegu), and Hon. Jerry Ahmed Shaib (Weija-Gbawe) which took effect from Friday, January 31, 2025.

The Minority noted that the decision by the Speaker is “an unfortunate overreach of parliamentary authority, a blatant display of selective justice, and an attack on the democratic principles that underpin our legislative process.”

In a press release, they stated that “The events that transpired during the vetting of ministerial nominees were bore out of deep-seated frustrations regarding the conduct of proceedings, the disregard for due process, and the Majority’s attempt to railroad decisions without consensus building. Parliament, by its very nature, is a forum for robust debate and passionate deliberation. The unfortunate incident that led to minor property damage was not a planned disruption but a manifestation of the growing tensions caused by the Majority and their members and the failure of the Chairman of the Appointments Committee to exercise impartiality.”

They contend that the Speaker’s decision to unilaterally suspend these three MPs—without due process in accordance with provisions enshrined in Standing Orders 130 (a) and (b), without an opportunity for them to be heard under Article 19 (1) of the Constitution and without first exhausting internal disciplinary mechanisms—sets a dangerous precedent. It signals an era where the Speaker can arbitrarily punish Members of Parliament based on perceived disobedience, rather than adherence to parliamentary rules and fairness.

They further stated that Parliament must remain a bastion of democracy, not an institution of oppression. The Ghanaian people deserve a Parliament where all voices are heard, not one where members are punished for their commitment to due process and accountability.

“Democracy thrives on fairness and justice, and we will not sit idle while our parliamentary democracy is undermined by selective application of rules.”

They have therefore rejected the suspension of the three MPs and demand an immediate reversal of the decision.

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Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa Minister-designate for Foreign Affairs has proposed the creation of a dedicated Consular Fund to assist Ghanaian deportees facing difficult conditions abroad.

At his ongoing vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Friday, January 31 2025, Mr. Ablakwa stressed the need for a financial mechanism that would enable foreign missions to provide legal and humanitarian support to Ghanaians at risk of deportation.
He noted that the Fund would serve as a critical resource for embassies and consulates worldwide, ensuring that no Ghanaian is left without representation or assistance in distressing circumstances. He also expressed particular concern over recent mass deportations by the United States.

He stated that many affected individuals often face degrading treatment and lack access to legal counsel or consular intervention.
“When given the nod, I will ensure that we establish a Consular Fund. We must make sure that this Fund exists and can be accessed by our foreign-service staff to extend assistance particularly in this period where the United States has announced mass deportations.”

He added that deportees are entitled to consular assistance and legal representation to prevent violations of their rights and dignity.
Beyond addressing deportations, Mr. Ablakwa indicated that his ministry would engage key foreign partners to negotiate improved migration policies that safeguard the welfare of Ghanaians abroad.

“Those who may be rounded up to be deported are entitled to consular support. We must get them legal support so that they are not just rounded up and deported with their rights violated. That is a violation of their human rights and affront to their dignity and these are matters that I will pursue”.

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Minister-Designate for Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak has dismissed claims suggesting that it is morally wrong for public workers to legally acquire state lands, asserting that such acquisitions are legitimate if conducted properly.

His comments were made during his vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on January 24, amidst ongoing efforts by the government to reclaim illegally acquired state lands—a subject that has fueled intense public debate.

Muntaka disclosed that he had personally acquired government land in Accra through lawful means, emphasizing that public officials and private citizens alike have the right to acquire state lands legitimately.

“I know the whole of East Legon was for the state; we have private people living there; people who have worked in government before, and others. Airport Residential was all state land, and people acquired it legitimately and are living there. I don’t see anything wrong with it if it’s done legitimately and rightfully,” he explained.

On matters of security, Muntaka assured the committee of his commitment to confidentiality, emphasizing that sensitive information would remain strictly within authorized channels.
“I will never spill security matters to my wife or any other person. I can assure you no third person can ever know,” he pledged.

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Minister designate for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Ahmed Ibrahim has said the procurement of the District Road Improvement Programme equipment was not done with the Local Government Ministry then, but was rather done from the presidency.

According to him it is a laudable initiative conceived through the Local Government Committee, the sector Ministry and the District Assemblies Common Fund.

During his vetting on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, he noted that workers in the Ministry will bear with him that they do not have records of any agreement of the DRIP project and they do not have programme inventory of all the DRIP machines.

Again, there is no management contract, there are no spare parts, there are no committee established to take care of DRIP machines.

When the Immediate past sector Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Martin Korsah asked a question about the DRIP equipment, the Minister designate noted that as a House they need to work together to get the best of the DRIP machines and put them to good use so that the money pumped into it will not go to waste.

“We should have proper structure, proper agreement, proper monitoring, and proper system to ensure that we make good use of the machines that were procured. I hope I can count on the former Local Government Ministers here; we have the men from both sides if we can come together we can solve Ghana’s problems”, he stated.

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