The Minority in Parliament has accused the NDC government of significantly altering the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill before presenting it for presidential assent.
Speaking at a press conference in Parliament on Monday, June 1, 2026, Assin South MP, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, questioned why the current version of the controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill differs from the one passed by Parliament in 2024.
According to him, Ghana’s values on LGBTQ+ issues have not changed, making the extensive revisions difficult to justify.
“What has changed in our values from 2024 to 2026? Have Ghanaians changed their values on LGBT since 2024?” he asked.
Ntim Fordjour argued that the bill passed in 2024 reflected the wishes of the majority of Ghanaians and should have been presented for assent without major alterations.
He recalled that in 2024, many supporters of the bill, including members of the NDC, insisted that the legislation only required presidential assent to become law.
However, he claimed the version currently under consideration underwent substantial modifications before reaching President John Dramani Mahama.
According to the Minority lawmaker, 22 original provisions were deleted while 31 new provisions were inserted into the bill.
“Original provisions from the bill, 22, had to be deleted, redrafted, and 31 insertions made before President Mahama would have it and desire it to sign it,” he alleged.
He questioned whether the changes aligned with previous assurances given to Ghanaians regarding the bill.
Ntim Fordjour further accused the government of altering the substance of the legislation while presenting it as the same bill that Parliament passed in 2024.
“You can’t subject a bill to 22 deletions and 31 insertions and expect that the bill is the same. You have overhauled it,” he stated.
The Minority is now demanding an explanation for the changes and wants clarity on why the original version of the bill was not forwarded for presidential assent.
