Story by Eugene Nyarko Jnr. l NPP Headquarters, Accra l April 7, 2026
The Member of Parliament for Assin South, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has accused the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and President John Dramani Mahama of a “grand deception” in their handling of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.
Addressing a press conference at the headquarters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Asylum Down on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, Rev. Fordjour said the NDC had “weaponized” the controversial legislation while in opposition, only to retreat from its earlier stance after assuming power.
“We have called you here today to address a matter of grave national importance—a matter that exposes the highest order of political deceit, hypocrisy, and double standards by President John Dramani Mahama and the ruling NDC,” he told journalists.
Rev. Fordjour, who identified himself as “the sole NPP sponsor” of the 2021 private member’s bill, recalled that several NDC lawmakers had strongly backed the legislation at the time. He argued that it reflected “the desires, culture, and religious beliefs of the overwhelming majority of Ghanaians.”
According to him, the NDC’s posture in opposition was both ideological and political.
“During this period, the NDC’s position was firmly supportive and politically assertive… painting the NPP government as indecisive and disconnected from Ghanaian moral values,” he said.
He further alleged that then-candidate Mahama made firm commitments during the 2024 election campaign, noting: “Mr. Mahama boldly declared that if Ghana were self-reliant, no foreign entity could dictate our laws.”
However, Rev. Fordjour argued that the NDC’s stance changed significantly after taking office in 2025.
“In a video address to the clergy, he declared the previous bill ‘effectively dead’… [and said] it probably should be a government bill with government behind it after consultation with all the stakeholders,” he stated.
He described this shift as a move from “rhetoric to risk management,” citing concerns about international financing and constitutional challenges.
Despite assurances later in 2025 that the President would assent to the bill if passed, the Assin South MP said the urgency surrounding the legislation had diminished.
“While they have not rejected the bill outright… they have strategically distanced themselves from it,” he said.
Rev. Fordjour took particular issue with remarks attributed to President Mahama on March 31, 2026, in which he reportedly indicated that the bill was not a priority for his administration.
“He stated that his government remains focused on ‘basic needs’ and that the anti-LGBTQ+ bill is not a priority,” the MP said, questioning the consistency of that position.
“To advocate so aggressively for a policy in opposition, only to dismiss it as a low priority once in government, is the height of hypocrisy,” he added.
The NPP MP also accused the President of sending conflicting signals to domestic and international audiences.
“President John Dramani Mahama has presented two faces to the world: One tailored for Ghanaian voters, and another carefully curated for American audiences,” he said, citing a statement he attributed to the African Human Rights Coalition.
He added: “While promising Ghanaians at home that he supports the bill in principle, he travels abroad and sings a completely different tune… his certainty dissolves into procedural language, deflection, and appeals to the democratic process.”
Rev. Fordjour further alleged contradictions in the government’s approach to education, referencing earlier assurances by the President that Ghanaian values would be reinforced through the school curriculum.
Quoting the President, he said: “More than even the family values bill, it’s us agreeing on a curriculum that inculcates these values into our children… so that we don’t need to legislate it.”
However, he claimed that a recent controversy involving the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) suggested otherwise.
“Instead of inculcating Ghanaian family values, they sought to smuggle LGBTQ+ teachings into the curricula,” he alleged, adding that a “controversial, pro-LGBTQ+ definition of gender” had been identified in a teacher’s manual before being described by authorities as an “anomaly.”
The Assin South MP also pointed to what he described as the “deafening” silence of some NDC lawmakers who previously championed the bill but now hold government positions.
“This is the man who was captured on video declaring that ‘President Mahama will not know peace until he signs the anti-LGBTQ+ bill,’” he said, referring to one such figure, adding that “today, he sits comfortably… unashamedly silent.”
Rev. Fordjour argued that this development reinforced his claim that the bill had been used as a political tool.
“For these NDC ministers, the anti-LGBTQ+ bill was never about an ideological commitment… it was merely a strategic vehicle to ride back into the Jubilee House,” he said.
The NPP MP called on President Mahama to provide what he termed “immediate clarity” on whether he would sign the bill if reintroduced and passed by Parliament.
“President John Dramani Mahama must come clean to the Ghanaian people,” he said.
He also urged the NDC to apologize to religious and traditional leaders “for deceiving them into believing the party would treat this cause with the urgency it promised in opposition,” and called on Parliament to expedite consideration of the bill.
“We will continue to hold this government accountable and ensure that the will of the Ghanaian people is not sacrificed for strategic political expediency,” Rev. Fordjour further stated.
