Anti-Witchcraft Bill: Akufo-Addo has got it tragically wrong; is ill-informed - Bagbin

In a bold rebuke of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's decision to reject the Criminal Offences Amendment Bill and the Ghana Armed Forces Amendment Bill, Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has accused the president of being "tragically wrong" and "ill-informed."

Alban Bagbin contended that the president's rationale, citing financial implications and potential breaches of Article 108 of the constitution, is misguided.

President Akufo-Addo, in a letter explaining his refusal, specifically pointed to the financial burdens associated with the Ghana Armed Forces Amendment Bill, sponsored by MP Francis-Xavier Sosu, which seeks to replace the death penalty with life imprisonment.

Dismissing the concerns raised by the president, Bagbin vehemently disagreed with the position.

Speaking in parliament on December 18, he said “Vehemently, we disagree with the position taken by the president. The president has gotten it tragically wrong and I will submit in the form of a statement under Article 53 my position in this matter and allow members of the House to make comments so that we can take a clear position in this matter."

Bagbin further criticized the president's understanding of the bill's financial implications.

“And I will do so during this week. The president has not been properly advised. The president has not been properly informed about the processes this bill has gone through. So I will submit a detailed write-up on it for members to make their comments but I am very clear that this message and the contents are irregular, wrongful and unconstitutional.

“The responsibility to decide whether a bill should come from a private member or not rests on the person presiding. The procedure in the act clearly states what the president is expected to do. It is not for the president to decide on the constitutionality or otherwise of a bill that has been presented and considered by parliament. This power of parliament will not be taken away by any exemptive authority,” he said.

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