The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has suspended four Members of Parliament (MPs) for two weeks, effective immediately, following a chaotic episode at Thursday’s Appointments Committee meeting.
Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor and Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the two chief whips for both the Minority and Majority caucuses, are among the suspended MPs, along with Alhassan Sulemana Tampuli and Jerry Ahmed Shaib.
Meanwhile, the Speaker has formed a committee to investigate the event.
The suspension follows an episode that the Speaker deemed as embarrassing to the institution of Parliament.
Speaker Bagbin has directed the Parliamentary Marshal to prohibit the suspended MPs from accessing the chamber during the period.
The decision was reached in light of the chaos that ensued during the screening of ministerial nominations, which hampered the committee’s smooth operation. Tables and microphones were destroyed during the process, and some MPs nearly exchanged blows.
Speaker Bagbin made it clear that such conduct would not be accepted and warned of further action if such occurrences occurred in the future.
During his statement, Speaker Bagbin voiced his disgust with the acts of the MPs implicated.
He emphasized that their actions were unworthy of Members of Parliament and that the episode had brought dishonor to the legislative body.
He went on to explain that the suspension was required to maintain order and discipline in the legislative procedures, which he claimed had been badly weakened by the MPs’ actions.
Speaker Bagbin also hinted at the prospect of more sanctions if such interruptions continued.
He reassured the public that Parliament will take a tough stance against any measures that could hurt its reputation and disrupt its operations.
This follows the Appointments Committee’s apology for the incident prior to today’s screening.
