South Dayi MP and Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has explained why he deliberately shields his marriage and family life from public attention, even though his wife is also actively involved in politics.
Speaking during an interview, Dafeamekpor said the decision was a conscious effort to protect his loved ones from the scrutiny and criticism that often accompany Ghana’s political environment.
“I simply wished my wife a happy birthday, and somehow it grew into something much bigger,” he remarked, after a recent birthday post for his wife unexpectedly drew widespread attention online.
Many social media users expressed surprise upon learning that the outspoken National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawmaker is married to a fellow politician and former parliamentary candidate—a relationship he has largely kept out of the public spotlight.
Dafeamekpor explained that his approach was shaped by advice he received early in his political career. “In public service, part of your responsibility is to protect your family, your children and loved ones from the pressures and turbulence that come with national politics. Your children can be affected and your family members can also become targets,” he said.
He revealed that senior political figures, including former President Jerry John Rawlings, had advised him to keep his family away from unnecessary public exposure. He also recounted removing photographs of his children from social media after warnings from friends about the risks of online visibility.
The MP used the opportunity to celebrate one of his sons, who recently turned 21 and is currently a third-year Computer Engineering student at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
While he occasionally shares birthday messages for his wife, Dafeamekpor noted that this year’s post gained unusual traction because users linked it to an earlier birthday message his wife had shared for him. “So someone went back and linked the two,” he explained.
Describing his wife as hardworking, intelligent, articulate and brilliant, he emphasized that despite their political involvement, they prefer to maintain what he called “an undisturbed domestic life.”
“These are not things you put on billboards or constantly publicise,” he stressed, adding that holding public office does not require individuals to make every aspect of their private lives public.
