Former Vice President and 2024 NPP running mate, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, popularly known as NAPO, has called on Parliament to reconsider the recently passed Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, commonly known as the Anti-LGBTQ Bill, following growing controversy over the circumstances surrounding its passage.
Speaking after an engagement with students of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana as part of the “Time with the Politician” series, NAPO said lawmakers should revisit the legislation to address concerns raised by parliamentary leadership and ensure broader consensus on the matter.
“Parliament should re-engage itself on the bill,” he stated when questioned by journalists about the way forward. He further clarified that Parliament should reopen consideration of the bill, noting that passage represents only the final stage of the legislative process.
According to NAPO, he was surprised by recent developments surrounding the legislation, particularly comments made by President John Dramani Mahama and Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin. He suggested their public remarks indicated that there may have been procedural concerns that needed to be addressed.
“The way the President and the Speaker spoke out showed that something really untoward had happened, and that is why the Speaker hinted at reconsideration of the bill,” he said.
The controversy follows Parliament’s approval of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, which seeks to criminalise same-sex sexual acts, the promotion and sponsorship of LGBTQ activities, and introduce reporting requirements for certain offences.
The legislation now awaits further parliamentary action and eventual presidential consideration.
