BY Issah Olegor
Anger among sections of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) over the ongoing security services recruitment has intensified, forcing the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, to publicly defend the process amid accusations from some party supporters that loyal members were unfairly rejected.
The controversy has largely been driven by disgruntled NDC grassroots supporters—often described as party “footsoldiers”—who claim they were sidelined during the recruitment exercise despite their contributions to the party’s victory in the 2024 general elections.
Many of them have taken to social media and radio discussions to accuse the Interior Minister of failing to reward party loyalists with opportunities in the security services.
But speaking in an interview on Adom FM following a press conference on March 11, 2026, Muntaka rejected claims that NDC members were deliberately excluded from the recruitment process.
He revealed that thousands of individuals identified as supporters of the governing party had actually progressed to advanced stages of the recruitment exercise.
“About 30,000 NDC supporters qualified for medicals,” the Interior Minister disclosed, stressing that the recruitment process had not discriminated against members of the party as critics have suggested.
Muntaka, who currently serves as Interior Minister under President John Dramani Mahama’s administration, explained that the large number of qualified applicants from across the political spectrum demonstrates that the process was conducted fairly and based strictly on merit.
The recruitment exercise for the 2025/2026 intake into the security services—covering the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana National Fire Service, and Ghana Prisons Service—attracted massive interest from young unemployed people across the country.
According to the Interior Minister, more than 500,000 applicants submitted applications for only about 5,000 available positions.
Following the initial screening stage, approximately 400,000 applicants sat for the aptitude test introduced under the new electronic recruitment system.
Out of that number, about 105,000 candidates managed to score the required 65 percent benchmark needed to qualify for the next stage of the process, which is the medical examination.
Despite these figures, the disqualification of thousands of applicants—some of whom are known supporters of the ruling party—has sparked frustration among party activists who expected that the change in government would translate into employment opportunities within the security services.
Several critics within the party have accused the Interior Minister of failing to prioritise NDC supporters who campaigned vigorously for the party during the elections.
Some have gone as far as describing the strict recruitment procedures, particularly the aptitude test, as a barrier that has prevented loyal party members from gaining access to government jobs.
The debate has played out prominently on social media platforms, where some party members have openly criticised the minister, arguing that loyalty to the party should be recognised in public sector recruitment.
However, Muntaka has repeatedly insisted that the government will not compromise professional standards within the security services by allowing political influence to determine recruitment outcomes.
According to him, the introduction of online aptitude testing and centralized e-recruitment systems was specifically designed to eliminate corruption, political interference, and the long-standing practice of using intermediaries—popularly known as “protocol”—to secure recruitment slots.
The minister explained that previous recruitment systems had serious loopholes that allowed unqualified individuals to enter the services, sometimes without proper background checks or medical screening.
He has also warned that Ghana’s security institutions must be protected from practices that undermine discipline and professionalism, adding that the new recruitment system is intended to restore credibility to the process.
The Interior Minister further noted that even if the government wanted to recruit large numbers of people into the security services, the country’s economic situation would not allow for massive expansion.
According to him, the entire security workforce currently stands at fewer than 100,000 personnel across the Police, Immigration, Fire, Prisons, and Narcotics Control Commission, yet the wage bill for these officers already amounts to about GH¢13 billion annually.
The minister therefore stressed that recruitment exercises must be conducted carefully and within the limits of the country’s financial capacity.
Despite the criticism from sections of the NDC grassroots, Muntaka maintained that the recruitment process remains fair and transparent, pointing to the fact that tens of thousands of individuals—including many NDC supporters—successfully progressed through the aptitude testing stage.
