The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has issued an apology to the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Muntaka, retracting his allegations regarding irregularities in the ongoing security service recruitment process.

Afenyo-Markin offered his apology during proceedings on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, following a directive from the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Bernard Ahiafor, who had referred him to the Privileges Committee on contempt charges after the Interior Minister accused him of making unsubstantiated claims.

On February 27, during the State of the Nation Address (SONA), Afenyo-Markin alleged that employing a third-party IT firm for the recruitment constituted a scam, placing excessive financial burdens on applicants.

However, the Minority Leader later clarified his statement, apologising to his fellow MP. He assured the House that any concerns would be properly presented. 

“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not do that to hurt him or tarnish his reputation, and if the text of my concern reflected so, it is hereby accordingly withdrawn.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,” Afenyo-Markin stated.

Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka accepted the apology and requested that the referral to the Privileges Committee be withdrawn.

He further asked that Afenyo-Markin’s comments be expunged from parliamentary records, as though the incident had never occurred.

“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. 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 said.

First Deputy Speaker Richard Ahiafor, who had initially referred the matter to the Privileges Committee, ordered the comments to be removed from the records and withdrew the referral to the committee.