Mahama wouldn't have signed first version of anti-LGBT bill - Socrate Safo

Renowned Ghanaian filmmaker and NPP supporter Socrate Safo has backed claims by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) about Ghana's recently passed anti-LGBT bill.

According to him, the version of the legislation which was passed by Parliament on May 29, 2026, is materially different from the original bill that was first passed in 2024, and the alteration was deliberate.

In remarks made on Peace FM, Safo argued that Parliament made calculated changes to the bill between its first and second passage, changes he says were designed to produce a version that a Mahama administration would be willing to sign.

"What they sent to Mahama is different from what they sent to Akufo-Addo. The bill that the NPP said was not okay when it was first passed, why didn't they pass that one again?" he asked.

"Those in Parliament are not children. These are experienced and technically inclined people when it comes to the formulation of laws. They knew that the first bill had problems," he said.

He also expressed frustration with some Ghanaians who refused to acknowledge valid points when they came from the opposing political camp.

"I was listening to the radio, and sometimes when I hear people talk, they seem like they think we are a bunch of stupid people in this country. When the NPP says something, they refuse to listen even if it were the truth," he said.

Richard Sky heads to Supreme Court over Anti-LGBT+ Bill, wants presidential assent put on hold

The first bill

The original Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill was passed unanimously by Ghana's 8th Parliament on February 28, 2024, with bipartisan support from both NPP and NDC MPs.

However, legal practitioner and journalist, Richard Sky, filed a motion before the Supreme Court in March 2024, arguing that the bill violates fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Ghanaian Constitution, including equality before the law and freedom from discrimination.

In December 2024, the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed Sky's petition, ruling that the challenge was premature because the bill had not yet received presidential assent and therefore was not yet an enactment subject to judicial review.

The bill lapsed automatically when Parliament dissolved ahead of the 2024 general election, as former President Akufo-Addo never signed it into law.

When the reintroduced 2025 bill came before the new Parliament, some NPP MPs opposed proposed amendments, particularly to Clause 9, arguing that the changes implied the earlier version sent to Akufo-Addo was "not adequately fit for purpose."

The irony Safo is pointing to is that the NDC campaigned hardest for the bill in 2024 and ultimately signed a softer version of it in 2026.

"What they just sent to Mahama, if they had sent it to Akufo-Addo, he would have signed it. If they had sent what they sent to Akufo-Addo to Mahama, he would not sign it,” he said.

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