Former Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu has asserted President Nana Akufo-Addo will not assent to the anti-LGBTQI+ bill.
In a lengthy statement, Mr Amidu said passing the bill into law will be a political suicide Akufo-Addo will not commit.
“As I told my interlocutors then, “self-preservation is the first law of nature” and Nana Akufo-
Addo will be committing suicide to assent the LGBTQ+ Bill passed by Parliament into law.
“Nana Akufo-Addo’s long game, the aura he has built around himself as a democrat in the
western tradition, and all the ingratiation efforts he has invested in, will come to nought
should he assent to the Bill upon passage. The fact that other citizens closely watching the
Ghanaian political scene knew the difficulty the Bill was going to face when it got to the desk
of the President was articulated by no less a person than Minority Leader Ato Forson,” portions of the statement read.
In his view, anybody who presumed Akufo-Addo will assent to the bill has not studied his political biography before and upon his assumption of office as President.
According to him, the president has worked effortlessly to look good in the eyes of Western leaders, and will not soil that reputation by stooping low to sign the bill.
“I had no doubt in my mind that no admonishment from any quarters, religious,
cultural, social, or otherwise would persuade Nana Akufo-Addo to sign it when presented to
him. Those who had conversations with me long before Parliament began to consider and to
pass the Bill will confirm my position on this matter,” it added.
President Akufo-Addo’s in the past days has come under fierce criticisms over his declaration on the controversial bill which was passed on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.
On Tuesday, March 5, a journalist cum lawyer, Richard Dela Sky filed a lawsuit against Parliament at the Supreme Court regarding the passage of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
The reliefs sought by the journalist include an order restraining President Akufo-Addo from assenting to the bill and also preventing the “Speaker of Parliament and the Clerk to Parliament from presenting ‘The Human and Sexual Values Bill, 2024’ to the President of the Republic for his assent.”
This was barely 24 hours after Akufo-Addo revealed that the Bill is facing a legal challenge at the Supreme Court and that until a decision is arrived at, no action would be taken by his government on the private Member’s bill.
Addressing concerns during a diplomatic engagement on March 4 at Peduase, the President emphasised that Ghana remains steadfast in its long-standing reputation for respecting human rights and adherence to the rule of law.
He reassured the international community of Ghana’s commitment to upholding human rights despite the passage of the bill.
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