The Minority Leader and Effutu MP, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, is headed for a showdown before Parliament’s Privileges Committee after the Minister for the Interior formally moved for his referral over controversial remarks on security service recruitment.
Interior Minister Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka made the request on the floor of the House on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, urging Speaker Alban Bagbin to allow the committee to probe what he described as serious and unsubstantiated allegations.
The tension escalated after Afenyo-Markin repeated claims during President John Dramani Mahama’s State of the Nation Address on Friday, February 27, 2026, alleging corruption and irregularities in ongoing internal security recruitment.
According to Muntaka, the Minority Leader had earlier raised similar concerns in the House but was advised to formally request information from the ministry if he had questions.
Instead, the minister argued, Afenyo-Markin chose to restate the claims during a high-profile sitting, declaring that the recruitment exercise was “scandalous,” warning of looming corruption, and suggesting potential jail terms for those involved.
Muntaka said such remarks, made on the floor of Parliament without evidence, undermine the integrity of the House and warrant scrutiny.
Invoking Standing Order 31 (E and F), the Interior Minister insisted the matter be sent to the Privileges Committee, where the Minority Leader would have the opportunity to present proof of his allegations.
He maintained that repeated public accusations without substantiation cannot be allowed to stand, especially when they concern sensitive national security institutions.
The Majority Caucus, he signaled, is prepared to challenge Afenyo-Markin to back his statements with facts before the committee.
The referral sets up a potentially dramatic hearing, as the Privileges Committee weighs whether the Minority Leader’s statements constitute contempt of Parliament or fall within the bounds of parliamentary oversight and free speech.
With tensions already simmering between the Majority and Minority sides, the proceedings could further deepen partisan divisions in the House while placing the spotlight squarely on transparency and accountability within the security recruitment process.