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The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament of Ghana, Bernard Ahiafor, has withdrawn the referral of Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin to the Privileges Committee after he apologised to Interior Minister Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka.
The decision was announced during parliamentary proceedings on Wednesday, March 4, following a formal retraction of remarks made by the Minority Leader regarding the ongoing security service recruitment exercise.
Mr. Ahiafor ruled that the issue had been resolved after the apology and therefore ordered the withdrawal of the earlier directive referring the matter to the Privileges and Immunity Committee.
“I would order that the referral to the Privileges and Immunity Committee for examination and enquiry is accordingly withdrawn. I will further direct that those words complained about, said by the Minority Leader and the Majority leader, are accordingly ordered to be expunged from the record as if they do not exist. By so doing, the matter is put to rest,” he stated.
The controversy began when Afenyo-Markin alleged that the engagement of a third-party IT firm in the security service recruitment process amounted to a scam and imposed excessive financial costs on applicants. In response, the Interior Minister filed a complaint, which initially led to the matter being referred to the Privileges Committee.
During the proceedings, the Minority Leader withdrew his comments and expressed regret, explaining that he had no intention of tarnishing the reputation of the minister.
“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not do that to hurt him or tarnish his reputation, and if the text of my concern reflected so, it is hereby accordingly withdrawn.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 arise in the future shall be properly brought to his attention,” he said.
Mr. Muntaka accepted the apology, acknowledging the emotional strain caused by the allegations but agreeing to resolve the matter amicably. He also requested that the remarks be removed from the official parliamentary record to signify that the issue had been fully settled.
