Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has promised a tough stance on corruption if NDC flagbearer John Dramani Mahama wins the December general elections.
In an interview with TV3 on August 24, 2024, Dafeamekpor asserted that appointees involved in corruption will face severe consequences under a Mahama-led government.
“A new regime of accountability is coming,” Dafeamekpor said. He highlighted that the upcoming NDC manifesto will tackle major issues such as corruption, state capture, and the high unemployment rate.
“Any government appointee, be it under Akufo-Addo or Mahama, if you misconduct yourself on grounds of corruption, you will not have it easy, a new regime of accountability,” he warned.
Dafeamekpor also noted that the manifesto will focus on job creation and addressing issues that concern all Ghanaians. He recalled the NDC’s previous efforts to combat corruption, citing the dismissal of officials for corruption-related activities during Mahama’s prior term.
The Member of Parliament for South Dayi has responded to a threat by the Minister of Interior, Henry Quartey, regarding a purported list of opposition MPs who allegedly tried to secure employment for people in the security services.
The minister’s threat followed accusations from the Minority Caucus that each ruling party MP had been allocated 30 slots in secret recruitments into the security services.
The Majority has formally denied this allegation.
He shared a GhanaWeb article reporting on the minister’s threat toward opposition MPs during an interview on Accra-based Neat FM.
The Interior Minister firmly denied the NDC MPs’ claim of ongoing secret recruitment, asserting that NPP MPs had not been given 30 slots each.
He explained that although there will be recruitment this year, it has not yet started, and there will be no sale of forms as the government aims to clear the backlog from previous recruitments.
“Hon. Henry Quartey, I dare you to mention my name if I have ever given you any names for any Recruitment into the Security Agencies,” the South Dayi MP, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor posted on X.
“When the NPP came into power, the total number of personnel at the Ghana Immigration Service was 6,000, but today, because of President Akufo-Addo, they are over 14,000. About 12,000 have been added to the Ghana Police Service.
“When you gaze into the eyes of the dead, you would see a ghost; I’m going to leave it here, I won’t go down that lane.
“But if they dare us, we will mention their names and the people they brought over the years, but we will leave that for now,” he said in an interview with Neat FM on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
Mr Bagbin said the conduct of the renowned lawyers association is problematic and people are worried about its position on matters of national interest.
The Speaker of Parliament made this revelation when a delegation from a newly created association of lawyers: the Law Society of Ghana (LSG) paid a courtesy call to him at his office.
The LSG delegation which was led by its Acting President and MP for South Dayi, Hon. Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, was at the Speaker’s office to congratulate him on his new position as the President of the Commonwealth Leaders Association.
They used the opportunity to inform the Speaker about the inception of LSG and its contribution to nation-building.
The LSG is an association for lawyers and law students who seek to shape national discourse and fight against injustice in all forms.
To Mr Dafeamekpor, the group has realized that the GBA has deviated from its core mandate in terms of fairness and inclusiveness.
He also observed that the GBA has sidelined some of its members and added that a lot of things done by the association are discharged with partisan colours.
The primary aim of LSG, Dafeamekpor stressed, is to cater for “the welfare of lawyers” and “push for reforms in the Ghana Legal system, for instance the Judicial System control on the training of legal professionals.”
As part of LSG structures, the MP said, there is the intention to affiliate with a lot of globally recognized Lawyer Associations such as the West African lawyers Association, Pan African Lawyers Association, African Lawyers Association, and Commonwealth lawyers amongst others.
Speaker’s Concerns About GBA
Reacting to the vision of the LSG, Speaker Bagbin stated the Society is good for the country as it is going to throw a global light on Ghana, especially with the global affiliations.
To him, a lot of people were worried at the state of GBA and their actions.
” I am no longer a member of GBA,” he disclosed and explained that he did not seem to benefit from the association.
Speaker Bagbin said the GBA has now become an association of elites, stressing that he used to pay his dues “religiously” but got to know that any lawyer that attended the public tribunal was not recognized and thus his interest in GBA diminished.
“I will support the LSG wholeheartedly and with the right opportunities irrespective of the numbers of members so long as we are focused and committed, we can make tremendous waves,” he assured.
Speaker Bagbin said Ghanaians have the brain power to capitalize on “for our benefit” hence “the quest for value and what is right always takes us to places and I believe LSG will be one of the pillars of such a culture to take us to places as a country.”
He also advised LSG to come up with reasoned opinions and critique law reports and publish them in journals.
