The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has formally apologised to the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, over allegations he made regarding fraud in the ongoing recruitment process for the country’s security services.
The apology comes after the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Bernard Ahiafor, referred the Minority Leader to the Privileges Committee for possible contempt of Parliament. The referral followed a complaint by the Interior Minister, who argued that the claims made against him were unsubstantiated and damaging.
Mr Afenyo-Markin had earlier alleged that the decision to engage a third-party IT firm in the recruitment exercise amounted to a scam and placed an unnecessary financial burden on applicants.
However, speaking on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, March 4, the Minority Leader withdrew the comments and expressed regret over the situation.
“Mr Speaker, I will not do that to hurt him or tarnish his reputation, and if the text of my concern reflected so, it is hereby accordingly withdrawn. I assure you that concerns that will arise out of any matter shall be properly brought to his attention,” he stated.
Responding to the apology, the Interior Minister accepted it but noted that the allegations had caused him significant distress.
“It is painful to be wrongly accused and be labelled differently from the intention that you have, especially when it is connected with heavy wrongdoing. I am heavily hurt and heavily worried, but who am I to say that I will not accept when my colleague comes to apologise? I accept it wholeheartedly,” Mr Muntaka said.
He further appealed for the comments to be removed from the official parliamentary record so that the matter could be laid to rest.
“My plea is that, if it is possible, it should be expunged from our records so that it will be as though it never happened,” he added.
