Lawyer Moses Foh Amoaning has accused former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of supporting the activities of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals.
According to him, the former president deliberately avoided putting his assent on the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, commonly referred to as the Anti-Gay Bill 2021, by hiding behind the Supreme Court.
Speaking in an interview on Neat FM on January 15, 2025, he argued that despite the Supreme Court’s verdict on the bill on December 18, 2024, the president did not sign the bill.
He added that he intends to confront the former president regarding his alleged opposition to the bill.
“I believe former President Akufo-Addo intentionally ignored the signing of the Anti-LGBT bill. He thought he was fooling everyone, but Mr. Former President, you are not fooling anybody.
“If he said he wouldn’t sign the bill because of the Supreme Court… if he really wanted to sign the bill, why didn’t he call for the bill after the Supreme Court judgment? Someone who said, ‘The battle is the Lord’s’? Look, as far as I am concerned, the former president believes in LGBT rights. He shouldn’t run away from that. These things are against the will of Ghanaians.
“Because Ghanaians did not want that, that is why they voted against him. The most dangerous thing is that after the Supreme Court ruling, he didn’t want to sign. You see, I am prepared to go and confront the former president on the bill,” he said.
The Supreme Court dismissed suits challenging the constitutionality of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.
Two suits were filed against the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, over the passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, commonly known as the Anti-Gay Bill.
Both suits, filed by broadcast journalist Richard Dela Sky and Dr. Amanda Odoi, a researcher at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), sought to nullify the bill’s passage.
According to the plaintiffs, the passage of the anti-gay bill did not follow the required constitutional procedures.
However, on December 18, 2024, the seven-member Supreme Court panel, chaired by Justice Lovelace Avril Johnson, unanimously dismissed the petitions. The court stated that until a bill receives presidential assent, it does not constitute an enactment subject to judicial review of its constitutionality.
Meanwhile, President John Mahama has declared that the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, commonly known as the Anti-LGBTQ Bill, is effectively dead after failing to receive presidential assent before the end of the previous parliament.
During a meeting with the Catholic Bishops, President Mahama explained that the bill’s failure provides an opportunity for a more inclusive conversation on the matter.
