Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has suggested that the disagreement between Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin and former Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga over the status of Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ Bill could be one of the reasons behind Ayariga’s removal from the leadership position.
Mr. Kpebu, however, stressed that his comments were based on his analysis of developments surrounding the bill and should not be treated as a confirmed explanation from the government or the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He pointed to what he described as a clear contradiction between the positions publicly expressed by the Speaker and Mr. Ayariga regarding whether Parliament had properly passed the controversial legislation.
According to Mr. Kpebu, Speaker Bagbin has maintained that parliamentary rules were breached during the passage of the bill and, consequently, that the legislation was not properly passed.
Mr. Ayariga, on the other hand, has repeatedly maintained that Parliament passed the bill.
“The Majority Leader is leader. This is his position that the bill has been passed. The President, go ahead and sign,” Mr. Kpebu said.
He argued that the conflicting positions could make it difficult for the government to pursue the Speaker and President John Mahama’s apparent position that the bill could be reconsidered.
“As long as Ayariga remains Majority Leader, it is going to be very difficult to go back and reconsider the bill as the Speaker and President Mahama are saying,” he said.
Mr. Kpebu said the disagreement could therefore provide a “rational basis” for Ayariga’s removal, although he acknowledged that other factors could have influenced the leadership change.
He noted that the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill has attracted significant international attention and raised concerns among some of Ghana’s development partners.
“This is a bill that even when Kamala Harris, U.S. Vice President, came, she had issues with it,” he said.
Mr. Kpebu also recalled concerns about the potential impact of the legislation on Ghana’s relations with development partners, arguing that the matter extends beyond a domestic political disagreement.
He maintained that the Speaker and President would find it difficult to push for reconsideration of the bill while the Majority Leader remained firmly committed to the position that Parliament had already passed it.
“There’s no way you are going to get Ayariga as Majority Leader and then what the Speaker is speaking about, bringing the bill back for reconsideration, etcetera, would happen under Ayariga’s leadership,” he said.
Mr. Kpebu further suggested that the appointment of a new Majority Leader could create room for a different approach to the contentious legislation.
He nevertheless cautioned that his interpretation should not be treated as an established fact, stressing that other factors may have contributed to the decision to change the parliamentary leadership.
“What I’m saying is that, if you are doing rational analysis, you cannot discount that one,” he said.
