Minority Leader Dares Interior Minister To Name NDC MPs Involved In Illegal Recruitment

Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has challenged Interior Minister Henry Quartey to identify the NDC MPs purportedly involved in recommending individuals for recruitment into the various security agencies.

Ato Forson in a post on X, formerly Twitter, said Henry Quartey’s assertions that Members of Parliament belonging to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had brought people up to be recruited into the various security services are both alarming and baseless.

The Minority Leader argues that Henry Quartey’s accusations are a tactic to divert attention from the government’s ongoing alleged covert and unlawful recruitment practices in the lead-up to the December 7 general elections.

Henry Quartey, in an interview on Accra-based Neat FM on Tuesday, May 21, said he will not toe the line of the Minority’s allegations but if he is dared, he will mention the names of the MPs and the people they brought for recruitment into the various security services.

“When the NPP came into power, the total number of personnel at the Ghana Immigration Service was 6,000, but today, because of President Akufo-Addo, they are over 14,000. About 12,000 have been added to the Ghana Police Service.

“When you gaze into the eyes of the dead, you would see a ghost; I’m going to leave it here, I won’t go down that lane. But if they dare us, we will mention their names and the people they brought over the years, but we will leave that for now.”

Ato Forson on his X handle, charged the government to rather desist from the improper recruitment it is undertaking and stop attempting to divert issues.

“I find the recent statements by the Interior Minister, Henry Quartey, both alarming and baseless. His insinuation that members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have participated in improper recruitment practices without providing any evidence is a clear attempt to divert attention from the substantive issues at hand.”

“I challenge the Interior Minister to name the individuals he claims were brought forward by NDC MPs for recruitment.

“Let us move away from rhetoric and towards accountability. If the Minister cannot provide these names, then his statements must be seen for what they are: an attempt to distract from the substantive concerns we have raised.”

During a press conference on Monday, May 20, Dr. Forson alleged that NPP parliamentary candidates have been given 30 slots to fill with NPP loyalists and supporters within the security services, including the police and army. He called on President Akufo-Addo and the government to stop this undemocratic practice, emphasizing the need for transparency and fairness in security sector recruitment.

 

Read the full statement posted on X by Ato Forson

I find the recent statements by the Interior Minister, Henry Quartey, both alarming and baseless. His insinuation that members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have participated in improper recruitment practices without providing any evidence is a clear attempt to divert attention from the substantive issues at hand.

The Minister’s remarks, made during an interview with Neat FM on May 21, 2024, and reproduced in the article below, come off as a hollow threat intended to intimidate and silence legitimate criticism from the Minority Caucus.

Our concern has been and remains the transparency and fairness in the recruitment process into our country’s security services. Specifically, we highlighted credible information suggesting that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is manipulating recruitment processes to favor its parliamentary candidates with 30 slots each. This allegation is serious and deserves a substantive response, not deflection.

I challenge the Interior Minister to name the individuals he claims were brought forward by NDC MPs for recruitment. Let us move away from rhetoric and towards accountability. If the Minister cannot provide these names, then his statements must be seen for what they are: an attempt to distract from the substantive concerns we have raised.

Mr. Minister, I can assure you that we will bring a motion to Parliament to demand an enquiry into the recruitment into security services since 2017.

The integrity of our security services and the trust of the Ghanaian people in our institutions depend on our collective commitment to transparency and justice.
 

 

 

 

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