The National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has accused the Interior Minister of attempting to bribe Minority MPs with police recruitment slots.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express, he alleged that Henry Quartey made the offer to silence NDC legislators who were opposing the recruitment of about 10,000 party foot soldiers into the police force.

Asiedu Nketia aka General Mosquito expressed grave concerns about the implications of such actions for peace in the upcoming election, stating that it does not bode well for peace to note that the Interior Minister is clandestinely engaging in such activities.

He called on bodies like the National Peace Council and the Catholic Bishops Conference to address this issue publicly, emphasising the need for transparency and accountability.

General Mosquito further explained that the Interior Minister had attempted to recruit these individuals into the security services but faced resistance.

“At some point, the Interior Minister himself went to Parliament to try to, like, bribe our MPs and say, ‘Look, bring two persons each from your constituency, and let's add them so that you allow me to do it.’ Our MPs rejected it flatly,” he alleged on Wednesday.

Mr Asiedu Nketia revealed that he had followed up on the matter, advising NDC MPs not to accept the offer.

“I said, don’t give them even one person because if you add one person, they recruit 10,000,” he stated.

He further claimed that the Interior Minister made the offer privately to the Minority leadership, but the NDC firmly opposed it.

“We made it clear that any NDC member who falls for that will face challenges in their constituency because what is wrong is wrong. If there is an opportunity for recruitment into the security services, it must follow the proper procedure, ensuring equal opportunity for all qualified Ghanaians,” he asserted.

Mr Asiedu Nketia also mentioned that the NDC has petitioned the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) regarding this matter.

Despite this, he alleged that government is proceeding with the recruitment process under the guise of following the law.

When pressed for evidence, Mr Asiedu Nketia stated that there are letters addressed to party candidates, noting that even candidates who lost their primaries were excluded from the recruitment process.

He added that the NDC has published these letters as part of their petition to CHRAJ.

“There is no denial of these facts, and we are insisting that if they believe in the rule of law, they should withdraw those advertisements and wait for CHRAJ to make a determination,” he concluded.