Failure to assent to anti-LGBTQ+ Bill will be an abdication of executive responsibility – Advocates for Christ tell Akufo-Addo

The Advocates for Christ Ghana (A4CG)has issued a stern warning to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo regarding the impending Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.

In a detailed statement, the Christian group argued that any hesitation or deferment by the President to assent to the bill, pending the Supreme Court’s decision on related legal challenges, would constitute an abdication of his executive responsibilities as outlined in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.

According to A4CG, the President’s constitutional mandate requires decisive action within a specific timeframe once a bill is passed by Parliament and presented for his assent.

“The law-making process as laid down by the constitution dictates that when Parliament has passed a bill and presented it to the executive, the President ‘shall’ indicate to the Speaker of Parliament, within seven days, his intent to assent to the Bill or not,” the statement said.

The group further contends that delaying the assent based on pending Supreme Court adjudications undermines the constitutionally established doctrine of separation of powers.

They argue that such a move would allow the judiciary to interfere with the legislative and executive branches, setting a dangerous precedent for governance.

“The excuse that the ‘bill’ has been challenged and so there should be a pause on the provisions of Article 106 (1) and (7) is a strange one because nothing in the constitution…prevents the President from exercising his constitutionally mandated responsibilities,” A4CG stated.

They also referenced a prior instance in March 2022, when President Akufo-Addo gave assent to the e-levy bill despite a pending Supreme Court .