The Member of Parliament for Assin South, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has criticised President John Dramani Mahama over his recent remarks on the proposed anti-LGBTQ+ bill, accusing him of prioritising the interests of development partners over Ghanaian cultural and moral values.

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen on Tuesday, April 7, Rev. Ntim Fordjour, one of the sponsors of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, said: “It appears the President is placing the preferences of development partners above the values and moral expectations of Ghanaians. This is a departure from the promises he made while in opposition.”

He called on the President, his government, and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to apologise to key religious and traditional bodies.

“The NDC and President John Mahama must apologise to the Christian Council, the Catholic Bishops Conference, GPCC and all other Ecumenical bodies, the Office of the Chief Imam, Muslim clerics, traditional rulers and concerned CSOs for the double standards and contradictory priorities demonstrated between their period in opposition and now in power,” he added.

Rev. Ntim Fordjour also urged clergy and civil society organisations to maintain their advocacy for the bill, saying: “Additionally, we call on the clergy and CSOs to call out the NDC and President Mahama on their U-turn on LGBTQ issues to maintain their spirited advocacy for the passage of the pending bill and for the President to sign same into law as soon as it is passed by the Ninth Parliament.”

This comes after President Mahama, during an engagement with civil society organisations at Jubilee House on March 30, remarked that while the anti-LGBTQ+ bill is important, it is not among Ghana’s most urgent priorities.