The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, and the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, are on a collision course over the passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025.
This follows Speaker Bagbin’s appeal to Parliament to reconsider the already passed bill, after holding discussions with the leadership of the House and raising concerns about the process that led to its passage.
However, the Bawku Central MP disagrees with the Speaker’s position, insisting that most provisions of the bill had long been agreed upon by both the Majority and Minority sides of the House and had undergone extensive scrutiny during earlier sittings.
Speaking to Accra-based Citi News, Mr Ayariga questioned the basis for renewed calls to revisit the bill, stressing that consensus had been reached after sustained engagement among lawmakers.
“We worked with our colleagues on the entire bill from clause one to clause nine. There was no issue. Even where concerns were raised, the committee made recommendations, and we engaged and agreed on several of them,” he said.
FULL TEXT: Speaker Bagbin Appeals to MPs to Reconsider Passed Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill
Mr Ayariga also distanced himself from any post-passage processes surrounding the legislation, saying his responsibility ended once Parliament approved the bill. According to him, matters relating to the transmission of the bill for presidential assent are administrative and fall outside his mandate as Majority Leader.
“We have kept this bill in this House for one and a half years, and now we are being asked to bring it back again and consider what exactly? I don’t know specifically what provisions need reconsideration. I have done my job. I have moved for the bill to be passed. As for whether it will be transmitted for assent or not, that is their business,” he said.
By: Ekow Annan/newsalertgh.com
