Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has dismissed claims that parliamentary proceedings were disrupted, insisting that the House continues to operate an orderly and well-coordinated system for conducting its business.

His clarification follows public commentary suggesting confusion between committee sittings and plenary, particularly in relation to recent activities of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament over sudden withdrawal of Majority members from a committee sitting, forcing proceedings to be halted.

Mr. Dafeamekpor stressed that there was no disruption, explaining that Parliament’s work is guided by clearly defined procedures under its Standing Orders.

“Every week, on Friday, the Business Committee sets out the business for the ensuing week. Members are informed about the nature and mode of business, including the time of sitting,” he said.

According to him, Parliament had, over the past month, been sitting in the afternoons, beginning at 2:00 p.m. However, as the House prepares to adjourn, a decision was taken last week to adjust sitting times to 10:00 a.m. for the current week to allow more work to be completed within the day.

He noted that all committees were duly informed of the revised schedule ahead of time.

“As of last Thursday, every committee knew that sittings this week would commence at 10:00 a.m.,” he explained.

Addressing concerns about overlaps between committee meetings and plenary, the Majority Chief Whip attributed such situations to decisions taken at the committee level rather than any breakdown in the system.

He explained that committees are expected to schedule their meetings in a way that does not conflict with plenary—typically before the official sitting time.

“If a committee chair decides to fix a meeting at 9 a.m., one hour into plenary, then it will obviously clash. That is not a systemic failure but a matter of timing,” he stated.

Mr. Dafeamekpor added that members require only a few minutes to move from committee rooms to the chamber, making it entirely feasible to balance both responsibilities when properly coordinated.