More details continue to emerge on the fracas in Parliament during the ministerial vetting on Thursday, January 30, 2025, as the special committee set up by Speaker Alban Bagbin continues its public hearing on the incident.
During the public hearing on Monday, February 10, 2025, the Majority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament (MP) for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, narrated how he tangled with the MP for Gushegu, Alhassan Tampuli Sulemana.
He said that the son of the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, Charles Asiedu who is the MP for Tano South, almost got himself injured as New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs, including Tampuli, overpowered him during a tussle.
The Majority Whip said that he realised that the Tano South MP could have sustained an injury when he got entangled between two tables and so he moved in to rescue him.
“When Akandoh took his seat, suddenly he was swamped. So, I came to stand by him to ensure that he got sworn in and made ready for the proceedings to kick start. Then Jerry (Ahmed Shahib of the NPP) came and Charles (Asiedu) came to support me, as it were. He (Asiedu) stood by his (Akandoh’s) left-hand side and I was on the right-hand side. And I was trying to get the clerk to get him (Akandoh) sworn in.
“Jerry Shahib went back. Then I saw Charles in a tango with the honourable Tampuli and there was a crack in the first table. It had been pulled apart. So there was a big crack between the first table and the second. And because of that opening, Charles got trapped in there. And I saw his back, I was looking at his back and Tampuli was over him,” he narrated.
He added, “Tampuli is heavier. He is much heavier than Charles. And given the situation I saw he (Charles Asiedu) was in if I hadn’t rushed to rescue him from the grip, I don’t know what would have happened. Because the table was firmly in place and he had his back against it and Tampuli was over him. So I went to extricate him from his grip.”
Dafeamekpor said that after rescuing Charles Asiedu, the NPP MP turned his attention to him and aggressively held the fugu clothing he was wearing that day.
He said he managed to convince Tampuli that the scuffle was unnecessary and he let go of him.
“That was how I entered the fray and I got my fugu entangled in the fray. And I was asking him (Tampuli), we are brothers, we are lawyers, we are Casfordians, we don’t do this. If you disagree with the proceedings, brother, you walk, you don’t disrupt the proceedings.
“Then as if he woke up, he looked at me with a smile and let go of the fugu. Then, Bawa, that’s the deputy marshal and his men came in.”
Watch his narration in the video below:
BAI/EK
You can also watch as Asiedu Nketiah allegedly drags President Mahama to FEC over appointments snub
You can also watch videos from the Minority after chaos erupted during Mintah Akandoh’s vetting
