Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister of Education, has disclosed that the Eighth Parliament failed Ghanaians by not using its constitutional power to pass the anti-LGBTQ bill into law.
According to Haruna Iddrisu, the eight parliament could have used its constitutional powers to pass the bill into law by a two-thirds majority once former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo refused to assent to the bill.
Speaking in a viral video shared on X, Haruna Iddrisu explained, “If Parliament fails you, it must admit that it has failed you. I want to be careful, as I do not wish to be in contempt. Go and read Article 106 carefully. Parliament passed the LGBTQ bill and sent it to then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, but he did not sign it”.
“Article 106 states that when Parliament passes a bill, it must be assented to by the President within seven days. If Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo did not assent to it within that period and also failed to return it to Parliament, then, in my honest academic view, he was in breach of the Constitution,” he added.
Haruna Iddrisu further highlighted, “The same Constitution provides that where the President refuses to assent, Parliament can pass the bill into law by a two-thirds majority. We failed Ghana by not doing that. There was no need to return to the President,” he argued.
“Parliament showed commitment, as both the NDC and NPP supported it. We had the two-thirds majority required. Many expressed support, although the debates revealed differing views among members,” he noted.
“Parliament must respect the sovereign will of the Ghanaian people. We are not acting for ourselves but for those we serve. It is their will and desire, and we must uphold it because they are the sovereign,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has stated that President John Dramani Mahama has assured him that once the Anti-LGBTQ Bill is passed by parliament, he will assent to it.
Alban Bagbin is quoted by a TV3 news card as having said, “President Mahama has assured me that once we pass the bill, he will assent to it”.
The Speaker of Parliament has also promised that Parliament will pass the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, commonly known as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
According to Alban Bagbin, when members of parliament return to the House for reconsideration of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
Speaking at a forum on April 11, 2026, he stated, “A number of members of Parliament who believe in it decided to promote it in Parliament. And you know the things I said before.
“I’m not a man of words. I’m a man of action, and that is how we got it passed in Parliament.”
“For some reason, the president did not sign it…I’m sure one of the reasons why we punished him and his party. So we started, and we processed it. It has gone through all the stages, and at the next meeting of Parliament, we shall pass it”, he remarked.
Meanwhile, Sam George, the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, has said there will be a protest if President John Dramani Mahama refuses to sign the anti-LGBTQ+ bill when it is passed.
According to Sam George, Ghanaian family values are not political, noting that as of today, there is no bill before President Mahama to sign.
He highlighted that if President Mahama gets the bill and chooses not to sign it, they will agitate, as they did in the past.
Watch the video below:
Hon. Haruna Iddrisu makes salient remarks about the brouhaha surrounding LGBTQ. pic.twitter.com/SWxoQeNBaA
— Muhammad Yaasiin (@Hajjyass70) April 15, 2026