Ignore NDC’s cheap propaganda; Akufo-Addo hasn't legalised gay marriage - Arhin

The government has described as “fabrication” reports making rounds in the media purporting that the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has legalised same-sex marriages in Ghana.

The General Secretary of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Asiedu Nketia is reported to have made the jaw-dropping allegation against the government during the NDC’s Unity Walk in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region where he claimed that president "Nana Addo says men will marry men, and women will marry women" under his goverment.

Addressing a large crowd of NDC supporters in Kumasi on Saturday, April 28, 2018 Asiedu Nketia made reference to the 2016 electioneering year, arguing that the incumbent President while in opposition at the time promised the Ghanaian youth marriages when elected into office.

But the Presidency in a statement Saturday labelled the commentary of the General Secretary as “baseless” contending that President Akufo-Addo has never made such proclamations on any platform.

The statement signed by the Director of Communications, Eugene Arhin said "the President remains focused on delivering on his mandate, and improving on the quality of lives of the Ghanaian people not legalising same-sex marriage in Ghana."

It added that the President is fervently indisposed to pursuing the matter neither by requesting for an apology or retraction from the NDC General Secretary but rather urged well-meaning Ghanaians and NPP supporters to ignore the "lies, deceit and propaganda" paraded by the opposition.

"We will neither ask for an apology or retraction from the NDC General Secretary, who, obviously, is still stuck in the age of the politics of lies, deceit and propaganda, which was rejected decisively by discerning Ghanaians in the 2016 general elections.

We will rather appeal to Ghanaians to, once again, ignore the falsehoods of the NDC, and urge Mr. Asiedu Nketiah to concentrate his energies on uniting his divided and discredited party."

Read the statement below

RE: President Akufo-Addo Has Approved Gay Marriage

President Akufo-Addo has in recent times come under pressure to declare his stance on gay marriage after he claimed last year in an Aljazeera interview that homosexuality in Ghana was bound to happen.

He had said homosexuality has not sufficiently garnered strong coalition from the public on the need to legalise gay marriage thus it remains illegal.

"I don’t believe in Ghana so far, a sufficiently strong coalition has emerged which is having that impact on public opinion that would say ‘change it, let's have a new paradigm in Ghana.

I think that it is something that is bound to happen and when that happens...," he said.