President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has denied allegations that he is refusing to sign the Criminal Offences (Amendment) (No.2) Bill, 2023, also known as the Witchcraft Bill, into law.
The bill aims to amend the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), includes provisions to outlaw the roles of witch doctors or witch-finders, and prohibits the act of declaring, accusing, naming, or labelling an individual as a witch, among other related matters.
Parliament passed the Bill in July, but four months later, it remains unsigned.
During the session of the House on Monday, November 27th, 2023, the Minority Caucus accused the President of breaching the 1992 constitution by failing to sign the Witchcraft Bill months after its passage by the legislature.
Minority leader Cassiel Ato Forson argued there was a constitutional breach, and the House must take steps to deal with it. He added that the Constitution guides them on what to do if the President fails to sign bills that have been approved by the House.
Tamale South Member of Parliament and former Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, insisted that the President must adhere to Article 106 of the Constitution, which mandates him to communicate in writing any provisions of the bill he finds problematic.
Failure to act, according to him, could set a dangerous precedent for future legislative processes.
Speaker of the House, Alban Bagbin, also rebuked President Akufo-Addo over his supposed ‘silence’ on the Bill.
However, the Director of Communications at the Office of the President, Eugene Arhin, stated that contrary to the claims by the Speaker and the Minority Caucus in Parliament, President Akufo-Addo has not remained silent on the Bill.
According to him, the Bill was officially presented to the President for his signature together with the Wildlife Resources Management Bill, 2023, and National Petroleum Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2023, under cover of a letter dated November 27th, 2023, with reference PS/CS/112/826.
In a statement to the media, he argued that it is wholly inaccurate that the Bill has been sitting on the desk of the President without receiving due attention.
He said, “President Akufo-Addo is mindful of Article 106 (7) of the Constitution, which affords the President seven (7) days to review and give his assent to any Bill presented to him.”
“In light of this constitutional provision, it is important to note that the President is still well within the legally stipulated timeframe to make a decision regarding the Bill”, the statement added.
Eugene Arhin stressed that the Bills are being attended to with the utmost respect for constitutional mandates and legislative processes.