The Majority Leader in Parliament, Hon. Mahama Ayariga, has revealed that the government initially believed the controversial Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill—popularly known as the anti-LGBTQ bill—had already been passed by the previous Parliament and sent to the Presidency for assent.
He made the remark during Wednesday’s sitting, October 22, 2025, following confusion over the disappearance of the reintroduced bill from Parliament’s Order Paper, after it appeared on Tuesday’s list of business items.
Background to the Confusion
Earlier in the day, Members of Parliament, including Hon. Habib Iddrisu, raised concerns that both the Property Rights Bill and the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill had mysteriously disappeared from the Order Paper, sparking heated exchanges across the chamber.
The First Deputy Speaker, Hon. Bernard Ahiafor, explained that the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin, had instructed the Clerk of Parliament to remove the bill, citing an administrative correction and new procedural requirements for private members’ bills.
However, the Majority Leader’s comments later in the session provided a different perspective, suggesting that the government had been under the impression that the anti-LGBTQ bill was already in the final stages of completion.
Ayariga’s Explanation
Speaking on the floor, Hon. Mahama Ayariga stated that the new administration did not initially see the need to reintroduce the bill because it was thought to have been concluded by the Ninth Parliament and forwarded to the Presidency for assent.
“We indicated that we thought that the bill had been passed by this House already and had been sent to the Presidency for assent. And so we didn’t see the need to reconsider a bill that had already been passed by this House — waiting for presidential assent.”
He further clarified that unless the President returns the bill to Parliament following the proper constitutional procedure, the House cannot reconsider it on its own initiative.
“Unless the constitutional procedure for returning the bill to us is complied with by the President for us to reconsider — and then use our two-thirds majority to approve the bill even if the Presidency has some issues with it — we cannot act outside the process,” Ayariga added.
Implications
Ayariga’s revelation adds a new twist to the ongoing legislative confusion surrounding the anti-LGBTQ bill, which the previous Parliament passed in February 2024, but which was never assented to by then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo before the term ended.
Legal and procedural experts have argued that since the Eighth Parliament dissolved before the bill became law, it effectively expired, requiring reintroduction as a new bill in the current (Ninth) Parliament.
However, the Majority Leader’s statement indicates that parts of the government may have mistakenly treated the bill as still pending before the Presidency, potentially explaining why its reintroduction has faced delays and confusion.
Next Steps
The Speaker’s office has not yet issued an official statement clarifying the exact status of the bill. Meanwhile, civil society groups, human rights advocates, and development partners continue to closely monitor the unfolding events, as renewed debate over the controversial legislation threatens to reignite tensions between Ghana’s government and the international community.
Rightify Ghana 