A fight broke out in Ghana’s parliament on Thursday evening, during the ministerial vetting process, leading to the suspension of four lawmakers.
The altercation occurred as members of the vetting committee, which includes lawmakers from various parties, clashed over the screening of ministerial nominees from the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The committee, tasked with vetting NDC nominees for ministerial positions, was disrupted when members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) were accused of stalling the process by asking long questions.
Tensions escalated when Samuel Nartey George, a nominee for communications minister, was questioned for over five hours.
The chaos resulted in damaged furniture, with tables and microphones overturned as committee members fought.
In response, Speaker Alban Bagbin condemned the incident as an affront to Parliament’s dignity and announced the two-week suspension of four lawmakers involved in the brawl: Rockson Nelson Etse Kwame Dafeamakpor, Frank Annor-Dompreh, Alhassan Sulemana Tampuuli, and Jerry Ahmed Shaib.
Bagbin also stated that a special committee will investigate the incident, with a report due within 10 days.
Any lawmakers found responsible for the damages will be charged for repairs. This was the third physical altercation in Ghana’s parliament in four years.
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