'Very disappointing' - Sheikh Aremeyaw reacts to political debates over Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill

Spokesperson for the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu, has issued a stern warning to political actors against weaponising the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill as a partisan battleground between the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, the respected Islamic scholar expressed profound disappointment over the sudden reigniting of political friction surrounding the legislation.

He emphasised that the country had already secured an unwavering, cross-party national consensus on the matter.

"I think that, as a nation, there is no question regarding our unanimity regarding the anti-LGBT bill," Sheikh Shaibu stated.

"It's clear both parties have expressed their positions, stakeholders, including religious bodies, have also stated their positions, and the parliament under the former government, and even the present one, have all debated this issue," he added.

His comments follow a fresh wave of political jockeying triggered by two major institutional developments; President John Dramani Mahama’s remark in London that strict constitutional and legislative processes must be systematically exhausted before any passed bill reaches his desk for presidential assent.

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has also suggested that both sides of the House may need to re-examine the legislative text before it advances further through the parliamentary conveyor belt.

Sheikh Shaibu firmly pushed back against these procedural delays, arguing that the substance of the bill has already undergone exhaustive national scrutiny and should not be reopened for political point-scoring.

Reflecting on the bill's legislative history, the scholar recalled that Parliament had already passed the framework, but strategic legal challenges and bureaucratic roadblocks ultimately prevented it from reaching the desk of the previous president for signature.

"What I know is that at least procedurally, parliament had passed the bill earlier on, it only needed the presidential assent, which, by certain legal processes, failed to reach the table of the president," he explained.

Sheikh Shaibu revealed he expected the current parliamentary session to treat the matter as a swift procedural formality aimed entirely at delivering the document to President Mahama, honoring prior executive pledges. Instead, he lamented seeing the front benches split into hostile factions.

"For us to come here, where we do not know where we are facing; the minority taking a position, the majority taking a position for me, it's disappointing to say the least. I hope that we will not politicise this matter, because this is a non-political matter from my angle," he added.

Reaffirming the cultural and spiritual foundation behind the legislative push, the spokesperson reminded lawmakers that resistance to LGBTQ+ advocacy transcends parliamentary politics, representing the core values of the Ghanaian citizenry.

"LGBT in whatever form it takes, it is an attack on the family institution, which is a sacred unit of society," Sheikh Shaibu stated.

"As a people of culture, people of faith, people of religion, as our nation, we are unanimous on how evil this matter is. To turn it into a kind of political debate now... is very disappointing," he said.