New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer Dr Mahamudu Bawumia will not hesitate to sign the anti-LGBTQ bill into law, barring any legal challenges, according to Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Vice Chair of the Party’s Manifesto Committee.
“He has said openly that he is anti-LGBTQ, and he’s not going to support any conversation or argument that says we should normalise or legalise LGBTQ things in this country,” he told Joy News’ PM Express on Monday.
The Housing Minister acknowledged that the bill is currently under litigation to determine whether it followed the correct legal processes before its passage.
“It’s being litigated, and I’m not going to make a pronouncement on the legality of that bill, but he has said clearly that he will protect Ghanaian family and cultural values. He does not support all these LGBT things that some people are trying to promote. He’s totally against it,” he stated.
In May this year, Dr. Bawumia reaffirmed his stance, making it clear that LGBTQ activities would not be tolerated in Ghana if he is elected president.
“On this matter of LGBTQ, I want to say again without any equivocation that we will not allow it in Ghana. It is not going to be allowed. Our Bible says no, our Quran says no, and our people say no. So no. That is the answer,” he declared.
“No man will be marrying a man, no woman will be marrying a woman. It is not our value. And I will stand firm no matter the consequences. We will safeguard our country, and we will safeguard our people,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ho West MP Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah has challenged Dr Bawumia to compel President Akufo-Addo to sign the bill into law now, arguing that Bawumia, as Vice President, should influence the president to act.
“If he is man enough to rule this country, he should be able to tell his boss, ‘Look, my boss, this is our cultural value, please sign this bill,’” the MP said on Joy FM’s Top Story.
However, Ofoase Ayirebi MP Kojo Oppong Nkrumah disagreed, arguing that Dr Bawumia would not hesitate to pass the bill into law if it is properly constructed and legally laid before him.
“If a bill properly constructed has gone through the processes and is legally laid before him unless there’s something fatally wrong with the bill, he will pass it into law,” Mr Oppong Nkrumah stated.
He further explained that the current bill is being contested because “There was a decision that had to be made by the Speaker of Parliament whether or not that bill will impose a charge on the public purse.
“Those who have sued are arguing among other things that the Speaker did not make that determination, and, therefore, could not have admitted it properly as a private member’s bill for it to be passed. That is one of the fatalities they are complaining about,” he clarified.