The Majority Chief Whip of Parliament and Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has taken responsibility for the disturbances that occurred during the vetting process in Parliament on January 30, 2025. While acknowledging his involvement in the chaos, he pointed out that the main issue was the failure to build consensus.
During the ad-hoc committee’s investigation into the incident on Monday, February 10, 2025, Dafeamekpor stated, “Not at all, I take responsibility, and when my punishment was handed down, I accepted it in good faith.”
He further acknowledged that although some believed he shouldn’t bear the blame, he recognized that leadership must be held accountable.
“Others disagreed that if punishment were to be meted out, it should not have been me. But I might agree in principle that leaders need to be held accountable for what happened. Consensus building failed that night,” he explained.
The MP noted that much of the chaos was a result of the rigid stance taken by the Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh.
“If my counterpart had not insisted on his modus operandi, we wouldn’t have experienced that. But he insisted. Once they decided to destroy tables and raise them, what could I have done other than suffer the punishment?” he asked.
Dafeamekpor emphasized the importance of structural reforms to avoid similar situations in the future, stressing that Parliament must enhance its consensus-building efforts. “A lot of things need to be streamlined,” he added.
