Atik Mohammed has cautioned President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo against failing to assent to the anti-LGBTQ bill.
The bill passed by Parliament is to serve as a check on homosexual practices and offenders will face a six-month to 5-year imprisonment.
The bill however awaits the President's assent to become a law but the President has served notice to delay his assent citing an interlocutory application by some persons at the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court
The President cited a Supreme Court case by some persons in the country challenging the constitutionality of the bill.
Due to this, he has asked the nation to “hold our hands, and await the decision of the Court” before he takes any action.
“I think it will serve little purpose to go, at this stage, into the details of the origin of this proposed law, which is yet to reach my desk. But, suffice it to say, that I have learnt that, today, a challenge has been mounted at the Supreme Court by a concerned citizen to the constitutionality of the proposed legislation.
“In the circumstances, it would be, as well, for all of us to hold our hands, and await the decision of the Court before any action is taken. The operation of the institutions of the Ghanaian state will determine the future trajectory of the rule of law and human rights compliance in our country,” portions of the statement dated March 4, 2024 further said.
President Cautions Parliament
The Office of the President has also written to Parliament to refrain from transmitting the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values, commonly referred to as the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, for his assent.
In a letter addressed to Parliament on Monday, March 18, and signed by the Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo, the letter emphasized that it would be improper for Parliament to proceed with transmitting the bill to President Akufo-Addo for any action until the matters before the court are addressed.
“This office is aware of two pending applications for an order of interlocutory injunction, both filed on 7th March, 2024 in the Supreme Court in Dr. Amanda Odoi v. The Speaker of Parliament and The Attorney-General (J1/13/2023) and Richard Sky v. The Parliament of Ghana and The Attorney-General (J1/9/2024) respectively, to restrain you and Parliament from transmitting the Bill to the President and, also, to restrain the President from signifying his assent to the Bill, pending the final determination of the matter.
“It is the understanding of this Office that both applications have also been duly served on Parliament. Therefore, it would be improper for you to transmit the Bill to the President and equally improper for this Office to receive the Bill until the Supreme Court determines the matters raised in the suits…In the circumstances, you are kindly requested to cease and desist from transmitting the Bill to the President until the matters before the Supreme Court are resolved,” portions of the letter read.
Atik Replies Akufo-Addo
But Atik Mohammed says the President's delaying tactics will have dire consequences for him and his New Patriotic Party.
"It has political effects and the person I cry for is Bawumia because whether the NPP likes it or not, this tag that they endorse LGBTQ is going to be a tag that will dog them for the entirety of this election and even beyond," he replied and questioned; "Is that what President Akufo-Addo wants to leave behind for Dr. Bawumia?"
The former PNC General Secretary further lambasted the President saying "a President who condones these activities in this country is not a President who is worth celebrating".
To him, "President Akufo-Addo is giving life to this gay issue. He's showing them that so long as I remain President, I am not someone who stifle your advocacy because my faith is that if you do well, it will be something Ghanaians will accept, meanwhile Ghanaians are saying we don't like this".
Atik Mohammed made these submissions on Peace FM's Thursday edition of "Kokrokoo" morning show.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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Who is Atik mtcheeeeeeew!!!! Peacefm and their st-u-p-i-di-t-y The amateurish is becoming too much
@Abdul Razak, it's obvious you and your likes have sold your brains to a political party instead of applying good reasoning to all issues and doing what is reasonably proper at all times.
ITS SO OBVIOUS HES BITTER, I DONT KNOW WHAT HE WANTS BUT I GUESS HES SOLD HIS BRAINS TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER SMH ***barred word***
Well said Atik
@stans, wack logic and weak reasoning. Almost all the front line promoters of this LGBTQ menace are old men and women who are married to the opposite sex and with children. Their days on earth are numbered, yet for some strange reasons, they're bent on leaving the world in disarray, that's the legacy they want to leave behind. So it doesn't matter Nana Addo is married to beautiful Aunty Rebecca, we thoughtful Ghanaians who vested our power in him are demanding for him to sign the bill, he has no personal choice in this matter unless he resigns
THIS ATIK GUY IS BECOMING ***barred word*** IN HIS ANALYSIS NOWADAYS...NANA ADDO IS MARRIED TO BEAUTIFUL REBECCA ,WHAT ABOUT YOU AT YOUR AGE OR YOU ARE A SUSPECTED GUY YOUR SELF.
@Shane, such pathological lying won't help you guys in your desperate attempt to defend the indefensible. We're you the one who were sent by the LGBTQ community to propose the money for Akufo Addo? And was that meant to bribe him or it was meant for the nation? If it was meant for the nation, in what form was it going to come? As a loan or grant? And from whom? You see that your small brain will not let you do proper analysis to know that it's impossible for LGBTQ community to provide funds for Ghana and in turn benefit from it? And if it was meant for Akufo Addo and his family, what is the proof that they haven't received it and their motivation for refusing to sign the bill is actually not stemming from that? Was the late Akoto Ampaw their transactional lawyer and now Gabby after his demise? Also, Ghana's IMF deal is 3B and not 1.5B, next time when you want to lie, get an intelligent person to craft it for you.
Akufo-Addo rejected $10 B that the LGBTQI+ people were ready to pump into the economy in 48 hours at the time we were getting ready to go to the IMF for $1.5B. Do you call him a supporter of gays? He is a lawyer and being carefull that is all.
Jeejay, comparing Mahama and addo, the choice is so obvious. Only feeble minds like yours can't comprehend this.
@Ntohwe. Yes, hes hungry because the economy is in taters, no job, no hope. Most workers haven't been paid in months. Common sense is not common to common brains.