A brief but tense parliamentary standoff between Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin and Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak has ended in an apology and a directive to strike the matter from the official records of Parliament.

The disagreement stemmed from allegations raised by Mr Afenyo-Markin over the Ministry of the Interior’s decision to deploy a centralised, AI-generated aptitude testing platform for recruitment into the country’s security services.

The platform, reportedly developed by a private software firm known as TribeNet under the supervision of the ministry, was said to be managing the recruitment process.

Addressing the House earlier, the Minority Leader criticised the move, arguing that it appeared to sideline the institutional leadership of key security agencies, including the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana National Fire Service, and Ghana Prisons Service.

He questioned why a private entity would be entrusted with what he described as a critical national assignment without broader consultation and the direct involvement of the heads of the respective services.

According to him, such an approach could create operational and administrative challenges and potentially undermine public confidence in the recruitment process.

The allegations, however, did not sit well with the Interior Minister.

Mr Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak strongly objected to the claims and called for the matter to be referred to the Privileges Committee, arguing that the remarks sought to tarnish the reputation of the ministry.

In a dramatic turn during proceedings today, Mr Afenyo-Markin rose on the floor of the House to apologise to the minister.

He pleaded that the matter be expunged from the official parliamentary record.

Responding to the apology, the Interior Minister accepted it and urged members of the House to ensure they verify information before making public allegations that could damage reputations.

Presiding over the sitting, Speaker Bernard Ahiafor, exercising the authority vested in him, directed that the matter be struck from the records of Parliament as though it had never occurred.