Akwasi Addai Odike, the founder and leader of the United Progressive Party, criticized the President’s refusal to approve an anti-gay bill as senseless.
The president’s refusal to approve a bill criminalizing a controversial issue is deemed unjust by him.
To him, it makes no sense for the president to refuse to sign a bill that criminalises something that the majority of Ghanaians oppose.
President Akufo-Addo said a said a few weeks ago that he would not assent to an anti-gay bill until the Supreme Court rules on its constitutionality.
The finance ministry had also warned that billions of dollars in World Bank funding could be lost if the president assents to the bill.
The ministry said Ghana could lose a total of $3.8bn (£3bn) in World Bank funding over the next five to six years.
Reacting to this, Odike slammed the president, wondering why he would make such a senseless statement.
He accused him of pushing the ministry to issue the statement, indicating that we could lose a total of $3.8 billion (£3 billion) in World Bank funding over the next five to six years.
He said “our overdependence on foreign aid has brought us to this point, stressing that Africans keep chasing after their colonial metres for financial aid, which comes with all forms of strings attached to them”.
He maintained that “our cultural values frown upon LGBTQI+ activities, and that is why Parliament has succeeded in passing the bill.
“The law requires that the President assent to the bill, but he has refused, claiming he is waiting for the outcome of the cases before the Supreme Court. This is a senseless reason given by the president. The bill has not yet become law, so why should you rush to the Supreme Court? The original justification of the Supreme Court is to interpret laws, and this is a bill that has yet to become law, so why rush to the Supreme Court?
It is intentional because he does not want to sign the bill into law. He thinks he has someone behind him, and so he will not assent to it. I don’t know the choice of words to use in describing President Akufo-Addo. I would have described him in a manner that would make your listeners call me disrespectful. He has destroyed this country. He has messed up the economy. He has taken out several loans and has nothing to show for them,” said in an interview on Rainbow Radio 92.4FM, UK.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
