South Dayi Member of Parliament Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor who has filed a case in court to compel the president to sign the anti-gay bill, has described the position of Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on LGBTQI practices as fantastic.
He however told Dr Bawumai to sign the bill if President Akufo-Addo travels and acts as the President of Ghana.
This, he said, will determine whether or not indeed, he is against gay practice.
“In this video, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, our Veep, is heard and seen saying that by our cultural ethos and his Muslim beliefs, he is against LGBTQ+. Fantastic.
“I expect our Veep to sign the Bill into law when next the Prez travels and he acts as the Head of State. That’s all,” he wrote on his x platform while reacting to the rejection of gay practices by the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
In this video, Alhaji Dr. Mahmoud Bawumia, our Veep, is heard and seen saying that by our cultural ethos and his Muslim beliefs, he is against LGBTQ+. Fantastic.
I expect our Veep to sign the Bill into law when next the Prez travels and he acts as the Head of State. That’s all pic.twitter.com/FAK9yrY4Sy
— Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, Esq. MP. (@etsedafeamekpor) April 11, 2024
Dr. Bawumia, in his Eid message on Thursday, April 11, noted, “It is important to note our cultural, societal and norms, as well as our values as Ghanaians frown on same-sex marriage.”
Parliament unanimously passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill 2024, which is commonly referred to as an anti-LGBTQ+ bill, but it has yet to be assented into law.
The bill criminalises anti-LGBTQ+ activities with a minimum of three months and a maximum of 10 years for individuals found guilty of LGBTQ+ practices prohibited under the law.
Currently, two independent applications for injunction orders have been filed at the Supreme Court, challenging, among other things, the constitutionality of the controversial bill.
Meanwhile, a Deputy General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), responding to the Vice President’s position, challenged him to either resign from his office or ask the President to sign the bill.
READ ALSO: Bawumia rejects LGBTQ emphatically in Eid message
Mustapha Gbande said, “We dare Vice President Dr. Bawumia if he disagrees with what President Akufo-Addo is doing now, he should man up and resign as vice president so that we can take him seriously.”
Several religious bodies have also called on the President to assent to the bill.
It’ll be very disappointing if Akufo-Addo doesn’t sign anti-lgbtqi bill – Sheikh Aremeyaw
But President Akufo-Addo has urged Ghanaians to exercise patience as the country awaits the outcome of the Supreme Court case to “decide the next line of action.”
“I want to assure you that no such back-sliding will be contemplated or occasioned,” said the President.
The apex court, however, has yet to commence hearing the injunction applications.