Member of Parliament for Gushegu, Hassan Tampuli, has defended Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin’s appeal for a reconsideration of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, arguing that the legislative process was compromised by changes that were never discussed by lawmakers.
Speaking on Citi Eyewitness News on Tuesday, June 2, Tampuli rejected claims by Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga that the Speaker lacks the authority to revisit the bill.
According to him, Parliament largely operates through consensus, contrary to suggestions that disagreements are commonplace.
“There is no way that we can build consensus, but I beg to differ. The respected Majority Leader knows more than me, that in our Parliament, over 99 percent of the time decisions are taken based on consensus,” he said.
Tampuli explained that lawmakers typically resolve differences at the committee level before presenting matters to the full House, describing lawmaking as a process built on compromise and agreement.
He, however, raised concerns about amendments contained in the report that accompanied the anti-LGBTQ bill, claiming some provisions were never discussed during committee deliberations or public hearings.
The MP recalled that Parliament’s public hearing on the bill at the Fiesta Royale Hotel was broadcast live and challenged anyone to identify where the disputed clauses were debated.
“Please just go back and check your tape and see whether we discussed something to that effect. So it has been smuggled into it,” he alleged.
Tampuli further claimed that although concerns were raised at the committee stage about maintaining the original wording of certain provisions, the final report presented to Parliament contained unexpected changes.
“As Deputy Ranking on the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee and correspondent of the bill, I only saw the report when one of our colleagues from the NDC side said he was going on radio and requested for the report,” he said.
According to him, neither he nor other committee members were given the opportunity to review the final report before it was presented to the House.
“If the report had been brought to us and we had reviewed it, we would have stated very clearly that these issues that have been put in the report were not considered under committee hearings,” he stated.
Tampuli argued that the alleged inclusion of provisions that were not discussed during committee proceedings undermined the integrity of the process.
“So clearly, the report or what Parliament did was vitiated by fraud as far as we are concerned,” he said.
He maintained that the Speaker has the authority under Parliament’s Standing Orders to intervene in such circumstances.
His comments come amid growing disagreement over the fate of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, after Speaker Bagbin directed Parliament to reconsider the legislation despite its passage on May 29.
While Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga insists there was no procedural breach and that the bill was properly passed, Tampuli argues that concerns about unapproved amendments justify a review of the process before the legislation proceeds further.
