As debate intensifies over the future of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), Majority Chief Whip and South Dayi MP Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has shifted the focus from abolition to reform, arguing that the anti-graft body deserves a fresh opportunity to deliver.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, December 22, Mr Dafeamekpor said scrapping the OSP would be premature, stressing that structural improvements—particularly decentralisation—would make the institution more effective and accessible.
His comments follow the withdrawal of a private member’s bill he co-sponsored with Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga, which sought to repeal the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act and abolish the OSP. The bill, though cleared by the parliamentary committee on private members’ bills and ready to be laid before Parliament, was pulled after President John Dramani Mahama publicly opposed the move.
Mr Dafeamekpor said the President’s intervention was decisive. “We believe in the wisdom of the President,” he stated, adding that the OSP remains a crucial pillar in Ghana’s anti-corruption framework.
Framing the issue as one of reform rather than rejection, he argued that the OSP should be given what he described as a “second chance.”“Everybody deserves a second chance,” he said.
Central to his proposal is the decentralisation of the OSP, which he believes has been weakened by operating solely from Accra. According to him, the lack of regional offices hampers investigations outside the capital and unnecessarily drives up operational costs.
“I believe that where we are, they should have regional offices by now. It shouldn’t be cocooned in Accra,” he noted. “When you have issues far away from Accra, how do you handle them effectively?”
He explained that establishing regional offices with officers reporting to a central command would improve efficiency, cut costs, and allow citizens across the country easier access to the institution.
President Mahama, in opposing the bill, had described calls to abolish the OSP as premature, highlighting its unique status as the only independent anti-corruption body with prosecutorial powers outside the traditional chain of command.
The controversy has sparked a broader national conversation, drawing responses from civil society groups, opposition figures, and governance advocates, many of whom have called for strengthening—rather than dismantling—independent anti-graft institutions.
Mr Dafeamekpor’s position reflects a growing view within Parliament that targeted reforms, capacity building, and decentralisation may offer a more sustainable path to improving the OSP’s impact than outright abolition.
