Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, has stated that Parliament cannot reverse its decision to pass the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, insisting that the legislation was approved in accordance with parliamentary procedures.
His comments come after Speaker of Parliament, , called for a reconsideration of the controversial bill following concerns surrounding the process that led to its passage on Friday, May 29, 2026.
The Speaker had explained that he expected Parliament to begin the consideration stage of the bill and was surprised to discover that all stages of the legislative process had been completed.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Tuesday, June 2, Mahama Ayariga maintained that Parliament acted within its Standing Orders and dismissed suggestions that the bill was improperly passed.
According to him, the Speaker’s intervention amounts only to an appeal for reconsideration and cannot overturn a decision already taken by the House.
“The Speaker is only appealing. He cannot in any way reverse what has happened. What has happened has happened. We have passed many bills the same way, and indeed there was no rule that was breached at all,” he stated.
Mr. Ayariga explained that concerns regarding the constitutional requirement for a bill to wait 24 hours before moving to the next stage were addressed through a procedural motion for the abridgement of time.
He noted that the motion, which is commonly used in Parliament to fast-track legislative business, was moved and approved by the First Deputy Speaker, thereby allowing the House to proceed with the third consideration stage of the bill.
“If you check the Votes and Proceedings, you will see clearly that the procedural motion was moved and allowed by the First Deputy Speaker. We abridged time and that enabled us to take the bill through the third consideration stage. So there was absolutely no breach of procedure,” he explained.
Mahama Ayariga also dismissed claims that the legislation could have been withdrawn by one of its sponsors, particularly Assin South MP, .
According to him, the bill had multiple sponsors and therefore could not have been withdrawn solely at the discretion of one lawmaker.
“The Honourable Ntim Fordjour could not have withdrawn the bill. He was not the only sponsor. There were several other sponsors, so whatever he threatened to do or not do had no effect whatsoever on the bill and its consideration by the House,” he added.
The debate over the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill continues to generate national attention following Parliament’s passage of the legislation, which includes provisions criminalising LGBTQ+ activities, advocacy, and promotion.
The revised version of the bill also contains exemptions for legal practitioners, journalists, media organisations, and medical professionals acting within the scope of their professional duties.
