Dennis Miracles Aboagye, Spokesperson for the NPP Flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has argued that President John Dramani Mahama’s current handling of the Anti-LGBTQ+ bill is no different from the approach taken by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2024.
According to him, both leaders are operating under the same constitutional and procedural circumstances, where the bill has not completed the full transmission and assent process required for a President to act on it.
He made the remarks on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue on Saturday, June 6, while defending Akufo-Addo against claims that he refused to sign the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill after it was passed by Parliament.
He explained that what happened under Akufo-Addo was a procedural constraint rather than a political decision to reject the legislation. In his view, both administrations are dealing with similar constitutional circumstances where Parliament has not completed the transmission process required for presidential action.
Miracles referenced the legal caution that surrounded the 2024 process, noting that court action and subsequent legal advice influenced how institutions handled the bill at the time.
He argued that the only difference between the two situations is how the communication was framed, stating that the Akufo-Addo administration formally wrote to Parliament referencing legal advice, while the underlying procedural reality remains the same citing President Mahama’s recent comments suggesting that the bill still requires further procedural and constitutional consideration before any presidential assent decision.
“He has basically sent a cease and desist notice to Parliament… except that it’s not in the green letterhead.”
He maintained that in both cases, critics are drawing political conclusions from a process that has not reached the stage where a President can either assent to or reject the bill.
The Anti-LGBTQ+ bill continues to generate political debate, with differing interpretations of its legislative status and the roles of successive administrations in its handling.
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