The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin is currently addressing a letter from the presidency instructing Parliament to refrain from transmitting the recently passed anti-gay bill for presidential assent.
In a letter addressed to the clerk to parliament, Cyril K.O. Nsiah, on Monday, March 18, 2024, the Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante, urged parliament to refrain from transmitting the recently passed Anti-LGBT+ Bill to the presidency for his approval.
The presidency cited two pending applications before the Supreme Court for an order of interlocutory injunction against the Bill.
He also revealed that the Attorney-General had informed President Akufo-Addo via a letter dated March 18, 2024, about the ongoing legal actions.
“It has come to the attention of this Office that while the President and other senior officials of the Presidency were at Peduase for a Cabinet Retreat on Thursday, March 14, 2024, you attempted to submit the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2024 (the “Bill”) to Jubilee House for the president to signify his assent or otherwise to the Bill.”
“This Office is aware of two pending applications for an order of interlocutory injunction, both filed on March 7, 2024, in the Supreme Court in Dr. Amanda Odoi v. The Speaker of Parliament and The Attorney-General (J1/13/2023) and Richard Sky v. The Parliament of Ghana and The Attorney-General (31/9/2024), respectively, to restrain you and Parliament from transmitting the Bill to the President and also to restrain the President from signifying his assent to the Bill, pending the final determination of the matter,” portions of the statement read.
That letter has been condemned widely by a section of the populace including former President Mahama, former Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu and some well-meaning Ghanaians.
But in an address to Members of Parliament on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, Speaker Bagbin described the move as one that poses a grave threat to Ghana’s parliamentary democracy.
