Director of Field Operations for the United Party (UP), Hopeson Yaovi Adorye, says Speaker Bagbin’s comments on being surprised over the quick passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, also known as the Anti-LGBTQ bill, were not negative but rather positive.
According to him, the Speaker’s comments have been misconstrued by many who assume he was shocked the Bill was rushed without following due process.
Adorye explains that the expediency with which the House concluded the Bill and got it passed is what made the Speaker make those comments, indicating it was in the positive sense of lauding the Legislature for passing the document quickly.
During his submission on the BigIssue segment on the NewDay morning show on Thursday, June 4, 2026, Mr Adorye criticised the opposition New Patriotic Party for condemning the Bill, saying they could have urged the then President to assent to it in its previous form when Parliament passed it earlier, if they think that was better than the current one.
“Within this shortest possible time the Bill is passed. Even Speaker is surprised. What he said, people didn’t get it. What he said people didn’t get it. He was surprised because he didn’t know it would be passed as fast as that,” he stated.
He noted that the NPP has no moral right to comment on the issue looking at their record on the Bill.
READ ALSO: ‘You have no moral right to talk about LGBTQ’ – Hopeson Adorye tells NPP
The comments come on the back of the controversy surrounding the passage of the reintroduced Bill which both President John Dramani Mahama and the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, have spoken on.
Speaker Bagbin for instance, has emphasised the need for consensus on the legislation to ensure effective implementation and public acceptance, saying he was surprised at the speed with which the Bill was passed in his absence.
Following the controversies surrounding the Bill, he has summoned the House leadership to discuss it, citing concerns about its passage.
On his part, President Mahama has stated that the Bill is far from becoming law, citing procedural and constitutional challenges. He has indicated that his legal counsel and the Attorney-General would review the legislation thoroughly before he decides whether to sign it into law.
Mahama also mentioned that he has options, including referring the bill to the Council of State for advice or returning it to Parliament for reconsideration.
Meanwhile, the Minority has complained that the contents of the Bill as contained in the previous one has been watered down.
The bill, passed on Friday, May 29, 2026, imposes prison sentences for same-sex relationships and promoting LGBTQ activities. It has since sparked intense debate, with critics arguing it infringes on human rights and supporters claiming it protects Ghanaian cultural values.
