The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Bernard Ahiafor, has withdrawn the referral of Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin to the Privileges Committee following his formal apology to the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, over allegations of fraud in the security service recruitment process.

Delivering his ruling on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, 4 March, Mr Ahiafor ordered that the matter be struck out and the disputed remarks removed from the official record.

“I would order that the referral to the Privileges and Immunity Committee for examination and enquiry is accordingly withdrawn.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 emerged after the Minority Leader alleged that the engagement of a third-party IT firm in the security recruitment exercise amounted to a scam and imposed high financial costs on applicants.

The Interior Minister subsequently lodged a complaint, prompting the initial referral to the Privileges Committee.

During proceedings, Mr Afenyo-Markin formally withdrew his remarks and expressed regret, stressing that he had no intention of damaging the Minister’s reputation.

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do that to hurt him or tarnish his reputation, and if the text of my concern reflected so, it is hereby accordingly withdrawn.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

The Interior Minister accepted the apology, acknowledging the emotional toll of the allegations and requesting that the remarks be expunged to reflect that the matter has been resolved.

The ruling brings the dispute to a formal close.