Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has suggested that the disagreement between Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin and Mahama Ayariga over the status of Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ Bill could be one of the reasons behind the latter’s removal as Majority Leader.
Mr. Kpebu stressed that his position was an analysis of developments surrounding the bill and not a confirmed explanation from the government or governing NDC.
He pointed to what he described as a clear contradiction between the positions publicly expressed by the Speaker and the former Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga.
According to him, the Speaker has maintained that parliamentary rules were breached in the passage of the bill and that the legislation has therefore not been properly passed.
Mr. Ayariga, on the other hand, has repeatedly maintained that Parliament has passed the bill.
“The Majority Leader is leader. This is his position that the bill has been passed. The President, go ahead and sign,” Mr. Kpebu said.
He argued that the conflicting positions make it difficult for the government to pursue the Speaker and President’s apparent position that the bill could be reconsidered.
“As long as Ayariga remains Majority Leader, it is going to be very difficult to go back and reconsider the bill as the Speaker and President Mahama are saying,” he said.
Mr. Kpebu said the issue could therefore provide a “rational basis” for Ayariga’s removal, although he acknowledged that there could be other reasons for the leadership change.
He said the disagreement should not be dismissed because the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill has attracted significant international attention, including concerns from Ghana’s development partners.
“This is a bill that even when Kamala Harris, U.S. Vice President, came, she had issues with it,” he said.
Mr. Kpebu also recalled concerns previously raised about the potential impact of the legislation on Ghana’s relations with development partners, arguing that the matter goes beyond a domestic political dispute.
He said the Speaker and President would find it difficult to push for reconsideration of the bill while the Majority Leader remains firmly committed to the position that Parliament has already passed it.
“There’s no way you are going to get Ayariga as Majority Leader and then what the Speaker is speaking about, bringing the bill back for reconsideration, etcetera, would happen under Ayariga’s leadership,” he said.
Mr. Kpebu further suggested that the appointment of a new Majority Leader could create room for a different approach to the contentious legislation.
He maintained, however, that his interpretation should not be treated as an established fact, stressing that other factors may have influenced the decision.
“What I’m saying is that, if you are doing rational analysis, you cannot discount that one,” he said.
By Christabel Success Treve
