Four Ghanaian Lawmakers Suspended After Brawl in Parliament
In a dramatic turn of events, four lawmakers in Ghana have been suspended following a violent altercation during the vetting of ministerial nominees. The Speaker of the Ghanaian Parliament, Alban Bagbin, expressed his disapproval of the incident, calling it not only a “gross affront to the dignity of Parliament” but also a “blatant contempt of the House.” He further stated that the lawmakers would be held financially responsible for any damage caused to the parliamentary property during the fight.
The suspended lawmakers—Rockson Nelson Etse Kwame Dafeamakpor, Frank Annor-Dompreh, Alhassan Sulemana Tampuuli, and Jerry Ahmed Shaib—were given a two-week suspension for their involvement in the chaos, which disrupted the screening of nominees from the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC). The altercation occurred on Thursday evening when members of the ministerial vetting committee engaged in a physical confrontation that saw furniture and equipment destroyed.
The trouble started when members of the NDC accused their New Patriotic Party (NPP) colleagues of intentionally stalling the process with lengthy questions, particularly aimed at Samuel Nartey George, who was nominated for the communications minister position. According to reports, Nartey George was subjected to over five hours of questioning, which led to growing tension and eventually erupted into violence, with tables being upturned and microphones destroyed.
Speaker Bagbin announced the formation of a seven-member special committee to investigate the incident. The committee has been tasked with submitting a report within 10 days, including findings and recommendations for further action.
This marks the third time in the last four years that Ghanaian lawmakers have resorted to physical altercations in Parliament, underscoring growing tensions in the legislative body.
