Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, the Member of Parliament for Assin South and a sponsor of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, has accused the John Mahama-led government of deliberately blocking the reintroduction of the much-debated anti-LGBTQ+ bill in Parliament.
Speaking on Friday during the presentation of the Business Statement for the sixth week of the third meeting of the Ninth Parliament, Fordjour expressed frustration over what he described as a conspicuous silence and calculated attempts to stall the bill, despite a clear directive from the Speaker of Parliament.
According to him, the bill was featured on the Order Paper during the 5th week but was mysteriously removed, with what he called disputed reasons offered. He noted that Speaker Alban Bagbin later issued an unambiguous ruling that nothing prevented the bill from being laid before the House again.
Also read: Frank Afriyie: Afadjato south MP mocks NPP’s ‘Walewale Adam Smith Economics’
“It is five weeks since the Speaker gave that ruling, and yet no attempt has been made for the bill to be reintroduced,” Fordjour lamented.
He accused the government of orchestrating the delay, insisting that the absence of the Bill from the Order Paper is a betrayal of public expectation.
“The attempt by this government to block this bill is a big disappointment to the people of this country, to the over 93% of Ghanaians who believe marriage is between a man and a woman,” he said.
Fordjour argued that the bill had already satisfied all procedural requirements and should be immediately restored to the Order Paper for its first reading and referral.
He warned that the Ninth Parliament must not create the impression that what was a national priority in the Eighth Parliament has now been abandoned.
“We must not give the impression that this House has jettisoned what 275 Members of Parliament considered a priority. The controversy was resolved. The Speaker ruled. The bill must be laid,” he stated.
The Mahama government has yet to formally respond to Fordjour’s accusations, though senior government figures have recently reiterated that President John Dramani Mahama remains committed to signing the bill once it completes the required parliamentary processes.
The renewed tensions highlight the deep political and ideological divisions surrounding the anti-LGBTQ+ debate in Ghana, as stakeholders await the next steps in Parliament.
Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga, however, dismissed the claims that the government is blocking the legislation, emphasizing that the NDC majority remains fully committed to passing the Bill.
He reminded the House that he previously advised treating the Bill as already passed by the 8th Parliament, which would have made presidential assent the only remaining step.
“If you had supported my position, by now it would have been in the hands of the Presidency. But since you rejected it, we must take it through all stages again,” he said.
Ayariga also questioned Fordjour’s past involvement in the bill’s processing, arguing he didn’t see much of his involvement when the committee he chaired was working on it. He pointed out that when the then-Minority pressured President Akufo-Addo to sign, he didn’t see the Assin South MP. “Yet now you claim urgency,” he marvelled.
He assured Parliament that the Speaker has already indicated that the Bill is being processed and will return to the House soon: “There is no attempt by this government to delay it. The Speaker has said it is going through the mill.”