Director of Communications for the United Party, Solomon Owusu, has criticised the apology by Afenyo Markin, to interior minister Muntaka Mubarak over comments about alleged fraud in the ongoing security service recruitment exercise.

Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show, on March 5, 2026, Owusu argued that the apology did not amount to a full withdrawal of the allegations earlier made about the recruitment system.

He described the statement as a “big blow,” explaining that the apology appeared to address how the comments were received rather than the substance of the claim itself.

“From where I sit, it does not necessarily mean that he is admitting that he lied. He only said that if what he said pained people, then he apologises,” Owusu said.

According to him, a more direct apology should have clearly addressed the earlier accusation that the technology being used in the recruitment process was fraudulent and placed an unfair financial burden on applicants.

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He further explained that a person could apologise for the tone or wording of a statement while still holding on to the original claim.

“You can apologise for the words you used but still insist on the claim itself,” he said, adding that if the allegation was truly incorrect, the minister should have apologised specifically for describing the system as a scam”.

Owusu also questioned the effectiveness of parliamentary accountability processes, citing previous cases that were referred to the Privileges Committee but, in his view, produced no real consequences.

He referred to an incident in November 2025 involving Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who was referred to the committee after Parliament ruled that he should no longer represent Ghana at the ECOWAS Parliament, noting that the outcome of the process remained unclear.

Owusu further argued that Members of Parliament must remember that their primary responsibility is to the people who elected them, not their political parties.

He added that steps are being taken to seek clarity from the Supreme Court on whether MPs in Parliament represent the interests of their parties or the constituents who voted them into office.

SO/VPO

Minority Leader apologises to Interior Minister over security recruitment claims