One of the sponsors of the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, Rockson-Nelson Etsi Kwami Dafeamekpor, says he expects the Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, to sign the bill whenever the President is out of town.
According to Ghana’s Constitution, the Vice President acts in the absence of the President, for which reason the private legal practitioner says he expects Dr. Bawumia to do what the President has refused to do if indeed he claims he is against LGBTQ+ activities.
Ghana’s Parliament on February 28, 2024 passed the bill which is also referred to as the Anti-LGBTQ+/Gay bill. But the President has refused to sign citing two Supreme Court cases injuncting him to perform that constitutional responsibility.
In a post on X Thursday, April 11, 2024, the South Dayi Member of Parliament said “in this video, Alhaji Dr. Mahmoud Bawumia, our Veep, is heard and seen saying that by our cultural ethos and his Muslim beliefs, he is against LGBTQ+. Fantastic.
“I expect our Veep to sign the Bill into law when next the Prez travels and he acts as the Head of State. That’s all.”
In this video, Alhaji Dr. Mahmoud Bawumia, our Veep, is heard and seen saying that by our cultural ethos and his Muslim beliefs, he is against LGBTQ+. Fantastic.
I expect our Veep to sign the Bill into law when next the Prez travels and he acts as the Head of State. That’s all pic.twitter.com/FAK9yrY4Sy
— Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, Esq. MP. (@etsedafeamekpor) April 11, 2024
Mr. Dafeamekpor’s comments come on the back of the Vice President’s initial comments on the bill after its passage, indicating his strong abhorrence for the act considering the fact that his faith and the culture of the Ghanaian people are both against it.
“It is important to note our cultural, societal and norms, as well as our values as Ghanaians frown on same-sex marriage,” Dr. Bawumia said in his Eid message Thursday, April 11, 2024.
The Anti-gay bill criminalises anti-LGBTQ+ activities with a minimum of three months and a maximum of 10 years for individuals found guilty of LGBTQ+ practices prohibited under the law.
Several persons have raised concerns about the bill with some saying certain provisions must be changed before it becomes law.
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