We are not recruiting NPP foot soldiers into security agencies – Majority

The Majority in Parliament has refuted claims by NDC MPs that the government is involved in the illicit recruitment of NPP loyalists into the security services.

The NPP says these moves are attempts by the NDC to create disaffection and tension ahead of the 2024 election.

In response to the allegations, the Deputy Majority Leader, Patricia Appiagyei, at a press conference, warned the NDC against making false claims that could destabilise the country’s peace and security.

She stressed that recruitment processes have not yet commenced and assured that when they do, transparency will prevail.

“The claims by the NDC are so baseless that they defy any mathematical logic, as the government cannot afford to recruit nearly 10,000 persons into the security agencies,” She stated.

Her comments follow a press conference on May 20 by the Minority in Parliament claiming that each NPP Parliamentary Candidate purportedly received 30 slots for enlistment into various security branches, a move perceived to sway the outcomes of the forthcoming 2024 general elections.

The Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, warned of potential repercussions if these recruits, dubbed “NPP thugs in uniform,” engage in unauthorised actions.

In October 2019, a similar issue of recruiting party foot soldiers arose when the then National Democratic Congress flagbearer for the 2020 general elections, John Dramani Mahama, accused the government of training party thugs at the Asutsuare Military Training Camp.

According to the Ranking Member on the Defense and Interior Committee, James Agalga, the government of the day is recruiting cronies into the police and prison service, among other things, without recourse to the laid-down procedures.

“Just as the recruitment of personnel into the Police Service in 2018 was characterised by outright nepotism and procedural breaches, the recruitment exercise which is currently ongoing is, to say the least, fraudulent. In 2019, there has been no advertisement whatsoever for recruitment into the Police Service.”

“Consequently, no applications have been received or processed in the e-recruitment portal of the Police Service, which can be accessed online. And yet, certain individuals have been invited and are being taken through medical screening for purposes of getting them recruited,” he said.