The Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business, Hon. Mahama Ayariga, has added his voice to the ongoing debate surrounding the fate of the controversial Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, widely known as the Anti-LGBTQ Bill.
According to him, Parliament has already completed its work on the Bill, which has effectively been passed into an Act, except for the Presidential assent required to make it law.
Speaking during an interactive session at the Leaders’ Media Briefing in Parliament on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, to outline the business for the Third Meeting of the First Session of the Ninth Parliament, Hon. Ayariga explained that the confusion about the Bill’s status stems from constitutional ambiguities.
“The Constitution says that if a bill is not passed and the life of Parliament expires, then it lapses. But this one was passed. We have passed it, and it is left with the assent,” he stated.
He further elaborated that there had been constitutional concerns regarding what happens when the President’s timeline for assenting to a bill or returning it to Parliament expires, especially when litigation is involved.
“If you would remember, there was a bit of a constitutional issue about what happens if the timeline for assent had passed, and the President’s timeline for sending it back to Parliament also wasn’t complied with. There was also pending litigation and some injunctive reliefs sought in relation to the matter, making the situation quite confusing,” he explained.
Hon. Ayariga stressed that the Bill’s passage is not in doubt, but until the legal questions surrounding the process are resolved, it would be difficult for Parliament to reintroduce it on the floor.
“I think that it has been passed. If we don’t resolve the question about the legal effect of our having passed it, it will be difficult to take it again on the floor of the House,” he emphasized.
Source: Clement Akoloh||parliamentnews360.com
