President John Mahama says the recently passed Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill will face further scrutiny before it can become law.

He noted that procedural issues surrounding its passage mean “there’s still quite a while to go.”

Speaking at Chatham House in London on the first day of Pride month, Mr Mahama outlined the multiple stages the bill must still navigate after Parliament passed it on May 29, 2026.

The president said the bill originated as a private member’s motion, not a government bill, and would now be subject to legal and constitutional review.

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“Once the president gets it, you go through it because you’re not part of the discussion in Parliament,” Mahama told the London audience.

“The legal representative, the legal counsel in the Presidency and the Attorney General would sit on it … and make sure that everything is in order before the president is advised to assent.”

President Mahama also pointed to two specific issues that had been raised regarding the bill’s passage: the lack of a quorum when Parliament voted, and procedural lapses during the process.

Earlier today, Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, described the Friday passage of the bill as a surprise as he believed it was only supposed to be laid for consideration.

On the back of this, the Speaker has called Parliamentary leadership for a crunch meeting tonight to clarify what transpired on the day.

President Mahama is cognisant of this.

“I just got some communication that the Speaker was reading a statement to address the issue of the lapses in the passage of the bill,” Mahama said.

The president noted that he retains the option to refer the bill to the Council of State, an advisory body, if significant concerns emerge.

“If there are issues, substantial issues that are raised, the president would return the bill to Parliament indicating exactly what the issues are,” he said.

For these reasons, President Mahama believes "there’s still quite a while to go before that bill becomes law.”

His remarks come amid growing debate over the bill, which criminalises same-sex relationships and even advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights.

The bill’s passage has also sparked a procedural dispute.

Private legal practitioner Oliver Barker-Vormawor has claimed the bill was passed with only 34 members present, below the constitutional quorum requirement, and has called on Mr Mahama to withhold assent.

Supporters of the bill, including Akwatia MP Bernard Bediako, have dismissed such concerns, arguing parliamentary procedures presume a quorum unless formally challenged.

Meanwhile, Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has warned individuals engaged in LGBTQ+ practices to “change your ways now,” insisting that once the bill receives presidential assent, they will face the full force of the law.