Director of Field Operations for the United Party (UP), Hopeson Yaovi Adorye, has slammed the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) over its criticism of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, also known as the Anti-LGBTQ bill, recently passed by Parliament.
Mr. Adorye argues the same law passed by the previous Parliament could have been assented by then President William Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who instructed his Executive Secretary, Nana Bediatuo Asante, to warn Parliament not to present the Bill to the Presidency.
According to him, if the NPP thinks the law in its previous form was best for Ghanaians, as they are claiming, they should have implored Akufo-Addo to assent to it, rather than criticising the current Parliament for making amendments and passing it.
Speaking on the BigIssue segment on the NewDay morning show on Thursday, June 4, 2026, Mr Adorye, a former leading member of the NPP, told the NPP representative on the show, Ibrahim Bashiru, to tell his party colleagues not to comment on the Bill, saying they have no moral right to do so.
“My friend, Bashiru, tell your people; you don’t have the moral right to talk about this LGBTQ thing. You’ve messed up the whole thing, so you keep quiet for those who want to do it,” he stated firmly.
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.
Speaking on the same show, President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, advised Parliament to ensure that any loophole in the Bill that will grant people the opportunity to abuse the content of the law be expunged.
“If there are any provisions, any exemptions that make those group of people, in future, capable of using those exemptions to promote and to develop and to allow LGBTQ practices, then we have some concerns,” Most Rev. Gyamfi indicated.
