The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has made a clarion call for urgent action on the long-debated Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, accusing the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the John Dramani Mahama administration of what it describes as double standards and hypocrisy in handling LGBTQI+ issues.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Asylum Down on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, Assin South MP John Ntim Fordjour alleged that the NDC had shifted its position on the controversial bill after campaigning strongly in support of it while in opposition.
According to him, the NDC actively backed the bill when it was introduced in 2021, describing it as a reflection of Ghanaian cultural and religious values, and used it as a major political tool ahead of the 2024 general elections.
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Hon. Ntim Fordjour, one of the sponsors of the Bill, claimed that during that period, then-candidate Mahama publicly pledged to assent to the bill if elected, while criticizing the previous administration for delays.
The narrative, he said, has since changed after the NDC assumed power in 2025, with the government adopting what he called a more cautious and procedural approach to the legislation.
Mr. Fordjour argued that President Mahama has since indicated a preference for a government-sponsored bill instead of the earlier private member’s bill, a move the NPP interprets as a shift away from the urgency previously attached to the issue.
He pointed to recent remarks by the President suggesting that the bill is not a priority, and accused the government of sidelining the matter despite earlier commitments.
“The same issue that was aggressively pushed between 2021 and 2024 has suddenly become less important,” he stated, describing the development as a betrayal of public trust.
The Ranking Member of the Defence and Interior Committee also raised concerns about alleged inconsistencies in the government’s messaging, claiming that the President presents different positions on LGBTQI+ matters to domestic and international audiences.
He criticised the government over what he described as the introduction of controversial gender-related content in schools, citing a teachers’ manual reportedly approved by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA).
According to him, the content contradicted earlier assurances by the President that Ghanaian family values would be strengthened through the education system.
In response to these developments, the NPP is demanding that President Mahama realign his priorities and take concrete steps to reintroduce and support the bill as government-backed legislation.
The party is also calling on the NDC to apologise to religious leaders, traditional authorities, and civil society groups for what it described as inconsistent positions on the issue.
Mr. Ntim Fordjour also urged Parliament, led by Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga and Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, to expedite consideration of the reintroduced bill when the House reconvenes.
The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill remains one of the most contentious legislative proposals in Ghana, drawing strong opinions from political actors, religious institutions, civil society, and the international community.