Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has given the Member of Parliament (MP) responsible for the “daughter of a murderer” comment one week to voluntarily come forward or face severe consequences.
During parliamentary proceedings on February 4, 2025, a male voice was heard shouting, “Daughter of a murderer, sit down!”
The comment was directed at the MP for Klottey Korle Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, daughter of former President Jerry John Rawlings.
Addressing the comment in Parliament on Tuesday, March 4, the speaker condemned the behaviour of the MP behind the controversial statement, describing it as unbefitting of a legislator.
He also described the comment as “unwarranted, unjustified and deeply offensive” while announcing an investigation into the matter.
“A lot of work has been done, and I urge the member responsible to own up. I advise the member responsible to, within the week, show honesty and plead rather than wait for the outcome of investigations,” Mr. Bagbin said.
Failure to do so, he said, would make the MP liable to be reprimanded or suspended for a period not exceeding 9 months or expelled from parliament altogether if found guilty.
Backing the Speaker, the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, said the House will support any sanctions meted out if the MP does not own up.
This comes after the speaker received petitions from the J.J. Rawlings Foundation, the Volta Diaspora Caucus, and traditional leaders from the Anlo Kingdom in the Volta Region.
They urged Parliament to demand a retraction of the defamatory comments and take necessary steps to uphold the dignity of the House.