The Director of Communications for the United Party, Solomon Owusu, says the apology issued by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin over his fraud allegations in the security services recruitment process does not fully clear the air.

According to him, the apology fails to directly admit that the allegation against the Interior Minister was false, a situation he believes leaves room for future controversy.

Mr Owusu said the development is a “big blow” to the Interior Minister, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, because the apology focused on how the comment was received rather than the substance of the claim itself.

Speaking on the JoyNews AM Show on Thursday, March 4, Mr Owusu argued that the Minority Leader’s retraction did not amount to a clear admission that the allegation of fraud was untrue.

“If you listen to the text of Afenyo, he said if the statement he made was received in bad taste then he is apologising,” he said. “From where I sit, it does not necessarily mean that he is admitting that he lied.”

Mr Owusu explained that the wording of the apology allows the Minority Leader to maintain his position while only expressing regret over the way the comment may have been interpreted.

“What he said was that if what I said pains you, then I am apologising. It doesn’t mean he feels he lied,” he noted.

To illustrate his point, Mr Owusu drew a comparison, saying a person could apologise for the wording of a statement without withdrawing the underlying claim.

“If I say someone is mad and later apologise for using that word, it doesn’t necessarily mean I still don’t insist on my position. The person should rather ask me to apologise because the statement itself is not true,” he explained.

The controversy follows comments by Mr Afenyo-Markin alleging fraud in the ongoing security services recruitment process, including claims that a technology being deployed could place financial burdens on applicants.

The Minority Leader later retracted the statement and apologised to the Interior Minister, saying he regretted any offence caused by his remarks.

However, Mr Owusu believes the apology should have gone further.

“For me, not coming out boldly to apologise for lying is problematic,” he said, adding that the current wording could allow the Minority Leader to later argue that he apologised only for the tone of the statement and not the claim itself.

The issue has sparked debate in political circles, particularly as the recruitment of personnel into Ghana’s security services often attracts intense public scrutiny over transparency and fairness.