Minority urges passage of Anti-LGBTQ Bill under certificate of urgency
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority Caucus on Parliament’s Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee has called for the passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, under a certificate of urgency.
The proposed legislation seeks to criminalise activities related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) persons.
Mr Alhassan Tampuli Sulemana, the Deputy Ranking Member of the Committee, made the call in his closing remarks after a two-day stakeholder engagement on the Bill.
He said the Bill should be passed on the same day the Committee lays its report before the House when Parliament resumes from recess.
“Mr Chairman, we, on the Minority, and I believe this is a collective position, that when Parliament resumes sometime in May, we should ensure that this Bill is passed under a certificate of urgency.
“As a Committee, we can make that determination. We have passed many laws under a certificate of urgency, and this also qualifies to be passed under a certificate of urgency to bring finality to a matter that has been in the public domain for some time,” he said.
The stakeholder engagement was organised by the Committee to undertake a clause-by-clause consideration of the Bill.
Mr Sulemana, who is also the NPP Member of Parliament for Gushegu, added that once passed, the Bill should receive presidential assent the same day.
“So that on the same day, His Excellency the President, John Dramani Mahama, will sign and give assent to the Bill passed by the good people of Ghana,” he stated.
Mr Shaibu Mahama, Chairman of Parliament’s Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, assured stakeholders that the Bill would be considered when Parliament reconvenes and assented to by President Mahama.
“We do not rank Bills in the order of importance. As we process Bills, we are confident that this Bill will be considered when we resume.
“We have a President who will assent to it. It does not matter what time it gets there. Let me assure Ghanaians that this Bill will be considered on the floor of Parliament,” he said.
Source: GNA