Court rejects request to compel Akufo-Addo to accept anti-gay bill for possible assent

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

An Accra High Court has rejected a request to compel President Akufo-Addo to accept an anti-LGBTQ+ bill for possible assent.

During the court hearing on Monday, April 29, lawyers from the Attorney General's office, represented by Chief State Attorney Sylvia Adeso, argued that the High Court did not have the proper authority to grant the application filed by Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor.

However, in her ruling, Justice Ellen Mireku indicated that while the Court did have jurisdiction over the case, she exercised her discretionary powers to dismiss the mandamus application.

This comes after the President ordered the Clerk of Parliament not to transmit the controversial bill to him until cases against it at the Supreme Court have been ruled on.

MP for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, had applied to the High Court to compel the Speaker of Parliament to submit the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill to the President within 7 days.

The plaintiff also asked the Court to compel the President to receive the anti-gay bill and either sign it or indicate to Parliament that he cannot assent to it within the same period.

The application for Judicial Review in the nature of a mandamus, which was filed on March 22, 2024, was premised on the grounds that the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill had been duly passed by the Parliament of Ghana in compliance with Article 106 (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.

The legislator also argued that the bill "must be transmitted to and received by the President of Ghana for assent or otherwise in accordance with Article 106 (7) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana."

The anti-gay bill, termed the "Proper Human Rights and Ghanaian Family Values" was passed by Parliament on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.