Majority Chief Whip, Nelson-Rockson Dafeamekpor, has accepted responsibility for the disorder that erupted during the Appointments Committee’s proceedings on January 30, recognizing the impact of leadership on the situation.

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The altercation between the Majority and Minority factions during the vetting of ministerial nominees resulted in damage to public property, leading Speaker Alban Bagbin to establish an investigative committee to examine the incident.

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“I take responsibility, so when my punishment came, I took it in good faith,” Dafeamekpor stated in response to the incident.

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He admitted that while some contested the fairness of the penalties, his commitment to taking responsibility remained steadfast.

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Appearing before the special committee investigating the February 10 disturbances, Mr. Dafeamekpor noted that there were varying opinions among those involved about who should bear the consequences for the chaos.

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“Others disagreed that essentially if punishment were to be meted out, it ought not to be me,” he explained. However, he maintained that it was important to punish leaders when things go wrong.

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Reflecting on the breakdown of mediation efforts that led to the disorder, Dafeamekpor identified a pivotal moment in the events.

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“Consensus building failed for that night. If my counterparts were not minded to insist on their modus operandi for that day, we wouldn’t have experienced that,” he continued.

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He noted that tensions escalated when some individuals deliberately disrupted the proceedings, overturning tables and chairs, making it nearly impossible to restore order.

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“Once they decided to disrupt, raise tables, raise chairs, what can I do? What could I have done?” he questioned. “Just to suffer for the punishment.”

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Dafeamekpor concluded by emphasizing that the situation could have been handled more effectively to prevent the upheaval.

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"A lot of things ought to be streamlined," he said, leaving open the possibility for future reforms to prevent such disruptions from occurring again.

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