*The unfolding saga of Ghana’s first slap in Parliament by the party that gave the nation’s its legacy of vice presidential assault
Bam! And members of the public as well as MPs vetting the newly appointed ministers of state got up in a panicky mood, some wondering whether some sharp-shooter had made his way onto the floor of the House in these times of crazy murders gone amiss. When the news came, it sounded more worrying and more damaging to the Minority side of the House. A Member from the minority National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Ibrahim Abdul-Rauf Tanko, MP for Yagaba/Kubori, had just delivered the nation’s first hefty slap in Parliament to a colleague member on the same side, Honourable Sampson Ahi, MP for Juabeso.
Scene: The Chamber of Parliament, the very sacred floors where MPs refer to each other as Honourable.
By the time the confused and bewildered Sampson Ahi was whisked off the possessed Abdul-Rauf Tanko to protect him from receiving further confusing slaps, he was lost in a world of his own, trying to come to terms with why he had been selected to receive the weird slap from his own party member.
It is not known what made Abdul-Rauf Tanko deliver the hefty slap to Sampson Ahi, a member of the Appointments Committee which was vetting President Kufuor’s nominees for ministerial offices on the day.
Unconfirmed information, however, suggests that Sampson, who was sitting in a swivel chair, may have either willingly or unwillingly blocked the path of Tanko, whilst Tanko was seeking to go past him. When Ahi turned around to see the person who was seeking to push past him, Tanko blessed him with the record slap.
Information gathered since the event indicates that the two men were quickly ordered to the office of the Minority Leader, Hon. Alban Kingsford Sumani Bagbin, who sought to convince the two men to settle the matter through the Minority group before it was hijacked by the Privileges Committee.
And in a smart move, the Minority condemned their colleague for his unbecoming act.
“The Minority wishes to condemn the conduct of the honourable member outright," noted Alban Bagbin in a statement released on the same day, last Thursday.
It is "an unfortunate incident," Alban Bagbin continued, noting that the party wished to "express its indignation at the un-parliamentary conduct of Hon. Ibrahim Rauf Tanko towards Hon. Sampson Ahi...”
The Minority Leader noted that the conduct of the MP “is being investigated by the leadership as a matter of urgency."
The Minority Spokesperson on Communications, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, further explained on radio that the NDC would ensure that that the issue is investigated and punishment commiserate to the offence meted out to Tanko.
The slapping MP has since apologised for the offence, with his victim also saying he has forgiven him.
