The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called for the swift passage of the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, often referred to as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill, as promised during the 2024 campaign by the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The party stated that the NDC, during its time in opposition, made LGBTQ+ issues a central tool in its campaign and even staged demonstrations against the NPP government. It, therefore, argued that the NDC should prioritise fulfilling its promise to pass the bill.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday at the party’s headquarters in Accra, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin South, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, said Ghanaians were demanding the immediate passage of the bill, noting that many citizens support it.
“For years, the NDC weaponised the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, using it as a political tool to engage eminent clergy, imams, revered traditional leaders, and the good people of Ghana.
“Today, having secured power through what we describe as a grand deception, the government has shifted its stance and abandoned the very cause it championed so loudly while in opposition. The same promise used to win the election has not been prioritised since assuming office,” Reverend Fordjour said.
He said the NDC’s position had been firmly supported and assertively promoted by its Members of Parliament, who engaged communities, the media, religious leaders, civil society groups, and traditional authorities to portray the then NPP government as indecisive and disconnected from Ghanaian moral values.
He added that the NDC also accused the previous government of delaying the bill’s assent due to dependence on foreign aid, while presenting its flagbearer as an uncompromising defender of family values.
“However, the moment the NDC assumed power in 2025, the narrative began to change. The strong rhetoric of opposition was quickly replaced by procedural caution.
“In January 2025, when the Catholic Bishops’ Conference met with President Mahama to urge him to pass the bill, he signalled his intent to introduce fresh, government-sponsored legislation that would more strictly and comprehensively address LGBTQ+ practices and related activities in Ghana.
“During the 2024 election campaign, then-candidate John Dramani Mahama explicitly pledged to sign the bill into law if elected. He even accused the NPP government of delaying its assent due to reliance on foreign aid,” Reverend Fordjour said.
He further stated that in November 2025, during a courtesy visit by the Christian Council of Ghana to the Jubilee House, the President reaffirmed his administration’s opposition to same-sex marriage and pledged to sign the bill if passed by Parliament.
He described the President’s recent comment that the bill was not a government priority as unfortunate.
Reverend Fordjour added that the government’s strategy of distancing itself from the bill’s passage should not be encouraged. He called on stakeholders, especially civil society organisations, to hold the NDC accountable for its campaign promises.
“When the NDC used LGBTQ+ issues as a campaign tool, did Ghana not need roads, jobs, education, infrastructure, and hospitals?” he asked.
“What has changed? Have our national priorities shifted so drastically between 2024 and now? To advocate so strongly for a policy in opposition, only to dismiss it as a low priority in government, is the height of hypocrisy and deception. We urge the NDC government to act now and ensure the passage of the bill,” he said.
BY BERNARD BENGHAN
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