2024 Elections: Henry Quartey refutes claims of NPP footsoldiers recruitment into security services

Interior Minister Henry Quartey has firmly denied allegations that the government is clandestinely enlisting members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) into the security services in preparation for the 2024 general elections.

These accusations were brought forward by the Minority in Ghana's Parliament, which claims the government is allocating 30 recruitment slots to each NPP

Read full articleParliamentary Candidate towards the December 7 polls.

The Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, expressed concerns during a press conference, warning that any unauthorized actions by these recruits, referred to as "NPP thugs in uniform," would be met with strong opposition from National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters.

Mr. Quartey labeled the Minority's claims as "regrettable" and emphasized that the government is not engaging in any such activities.

In an interview on Citi FM, Mr Quartey stated, "It is rather unfortunate that MPs and, of course, a leader, Minority Leader and a former deputy minister of Interior, could actually spew this falsehood into the public."

He clarified that recruitment processes have not yet begun and will not be conducted in secrecy.

Mr. Quartey explained that government's intention is to address the backlog of previous years' recruits, which is why there has been no advertisement for new recruits yet.

He mentioned that the relevant agencies would soon release the eligibility criteria for new recruits, adding, "Yes, we are recruiting, but it is not a secret recruitment. We haven’t even started. The agencies are going to send the eligibility criteria. I am sure by this week they will do that."

Addressing the specific allegation of 30 recruitment slots being given to NPP MPs, Mr. Quartey strongly refuted the claim, saying, "I want to say on authority and I want to say again on authority that giving 30 slots to MPs is false. It is not true. It has never happened before and I am surprised that they want to go on this tangent."

He further elaborated that the government is mindful of the financial burden on individuals who repeatedly pay for recruitment forms without gaining admission.

"What we are saying rather is that look, in the last couple of years, people have gone to buy forms. And for some reasons, they could not gain admission into the security and intelligence agencies. So we thought it wise that we don’t have to advertise anymore for people to continuously pay monies because you have a certain number of people that, per the clearance, you have to recruit."

In conclusion, Mr. Quartey reiterated that the government's recruitment processes are transparent and fair, and he expressed disappointment in the Minority's approach to spreading these false claims.

He assured the public that the government remains committed to maintaining integrity and transparency in all its recruitment activities.