Majority Chief Whip Suggests Referral to Privileges Committee Over Barker-Vormawor’s Allegations

Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor, the Majority Chief Whip, has suggested that the Appointments Committee of Parliament should refer the bribery allegations made by Oliver Barker-Vormawor to the Privileges Committee.

Dafeamekpor believes that this would allow the Appointments Committee to focus on its primary responsibility of vetting ministerial nominees without being bogged down by allegations they do not have the jurisdiction to address.

He proposed that the Privileges Committee, which has the authority to deal with such matters, should take over the case. “Let the Privileges Committee deal with this matter. They have jurisdiction to handle it, and then we will appear as witnesses,” Dafeamekpor said. He emphasized that the committee was wasting valuable time addressing issues beyond its mandate.

However, the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Bernard Ahiafor, overruled Dafeamekpor’s suggestion, affirming the committee’s decision to proceed with Barker-Vormawor’s appearance. Ahiafor explained that the committee had invited Barker-Vormawor to substantiate his allegations and to apologize for any misunderstanding. He added, “We need to give him the opportunity and listen to the words of his apology. As a committee, we can pick it from there.”

Barker-Vormawor’s lawyer, Nana Ato Dadzie, reiterated that his client did not intend to defame the committee with his bribery allegations. He clarified that the post was meant to expose misconduct by third parties and was not intended to vilify the committee. Dadzie also offered an apology on behalf of Barker-Vormawor and expressed his client’s willingness to withdraw the post.

The allegations, made in a Facebook post on January 24, 2025, suggested that members of the Appointments Committee were accepting bribes from ministerial appointees in exchange for approval. The committee denied the claims, with Chairman Ahiafor demanding that Barker-Vormawor appear before the committee to provide evidence.

The controversy surrounding the allegations briefly stalled the vetting process on January 28, 2025, as Minority MPs argued that their reputations had been damaged by the claims. The Majority, on the other hand, insisted that the vetting process should continue, with the matter being dealt with separately.

Barker-Vormawor confirmed he would attend the committee meeting on January 29 to address the allegations, stating that his appearance would be an opportunity for democracy to improve.