Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has suspended four lawmakers following a violent altercation during the vetting of ministerial nominees.
The clash erupted on Thursday evening when members of the vetting committee fought and damaged parliamentary furniture while screening nominees from the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The tension stemmed from accusations by NDC lawmakers that their colleagues from the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) were intentionally prolonging the vetting process with excessive questioning.
Alexander Afenyo-Markin, NPP’s parliamentary leader, was singled out for grilling Samuel Nartey George, the nominee for communications minister, for over five hours. The prolonged questioning led to heated exchanges that eventually escalated into a physical fight.
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On Friday, Speaker Bagbin condemned the incident as a “gross affront to the dignity of Parliament” and a “blatant contempt of the House.” He then announced a two-week suspension for four lawmakers: Rockson Nelson Etse Kwame Dafeamakpor, Frank Annor-Dompreh, Alhassan Sulemana Tampuuli and Jerry Ahmed Shaib.
A seven-member special committee has been tasked with investigating the incident and will submit its findings within 10 days. Additionally, lawmakers found responsible for damaging parliamentary property will have the costs deducted from their allowances.
This marks the third violent clash in Ghana’s Parliament in the last four years. In 2021, lawmakers fought during the election of a new speaker and later that year disrupted proceedings over a vote on the electronic transaction levy bill.
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