Parliament followed rules in passing anti-LGBTQ Bill, Speaker cannot reverse it — Ayariga
Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has firmly asserted that Speaker Alban Bagbin has no authority to reverse Parliament’s approval of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, insisting that the bill was passed in strict adherence to parliamentary procedures and without any violation of the House’s rules.
His remarks follow the Speaker’s call for Parliament to revisit the controversial legislation after concerns were raised about the manner in which it was passed on Friday, May 29. Speaker Bagbin had earlier expressed surprise that Parliament had concluded all stages of consideration, stating that he had expected deliberations to only begin at that point.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Tuesday, June 2, Mahama Ayariga maintained that the legislative process was properly followed and rejected claims of procedural irregularities. He argued that the Speaker’s comments amount to a request for reconsideration and do not have the power to undo 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,” Ayariga said.
He further explained that concerns regarding the required 24-hour waiting period between stages were resolved through a procedural motion to abridge time, a standard parliamentary practice used to fast-track business when necessary.
“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 added.
Ayariga also dismissed suggestions that the bill could have been withdrawn by one of its sponsors, including Assin South MP Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, arguing that the legislation had multiple sponsors and therefore could not be halted by a single individual.
“The Honourable Ntim Fordjour could not have withdrawn the bill.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 stated.
The controversy comes amid concerns raised by Bosome Freho MP Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh, who claimed that Minority sponsors were not present when Parliament completed the final stages of the bill’s passage.
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