A moment of escalated tension erupted at Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday, June 16, 2025, during the vetting of Supreme Court judge nominee, Justice Senyo Dzamefe.
Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin vociferously called for South Dayi MP Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor to be “restrained!” amid heated exchanges.
The outburst occurred as Justice Dzamefe responded to questions, with Mr. Afenyo-Markin raising a formal protest to the Chairman of the Committee, Bernard Ahiafor, about the conduct of Mr. Dafeamekpor.
“Chairman, I want to register a protest on record,” the Minority Leader began, visibly agitated.
He then directed his concerns toward a colleague seated immediately to the Chairman’s right, understood to be Mr. Dafeamekpor.
“The interjections, though not on record—those interjections are becoming too loud and too many, and we’ve started well,” Mr. Afenyo-Markin stated, expressing his displeasure.
Emphasising the gravity of the ongoing parliamentary duty, Mr. Afenyo-Markin urged for decorum.
“We are discharging a constitutional duty. If it were to be on a personal level, I would say, ‘My Lord, please, I pass you’,” he explained, drawing a distinction between personal interactions and official proceedings.
He voiced concern over how such disruptions could be misconstrued by the public.
His plea culminated in a direct appeal to the Chair:
“Please restrain him! Please restrain him; it must not continue,” he insisted.
Mr. Ahiafor proceeded to inform all committee members to control their emotions.
“All other members are accordingly restrained,” he stated.
In response to the Minority Leader’s protest and the Chairman’s directive, an immediate reaction was heard from Mr. Dafeamekpor, asserting, “Were you not interjecting, were you not? Did anybody protest?”
The clash briefly halted the vetting proceedings for Justice Dzamefe, underscoring the often-tense political dynamics that play out during the scrutiny of high-profile government appointments.
The committee subsequently moved to restore order and continued with the nomination process.
This is not the first time similar exchanges have occurred during the current Parliament.
It could be recalled that chaos erupted in Parliament during the vetting of ministerial nominees by the Appointments Committee on Thursday, January 30, leading to property damage and the suspension of proceedings.
Following the incident, the act was vehemently condemned by the public, prompting the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to establish a committee to investigate the chaos and identify the Members of Parliament responsible for fuelling the disturbances.
The Speaker also suspended four MPs—Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Alhassan Sulemana Tampuli, and Jerry Ahmed Shaib—for their involvement in the chaos.
However, the suspension was later revoked following a plea from the leaders of the Minority and Majority sides of the chamber.
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