'Akufo-Addo’s reason for not assenting anti-witchcraft bill lame' - Sosu

The Member of Parliament for Madina Constituency, Francis-Xavier Sosu, has criticised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his decision not to assent the anti-witchcraft bill.

According to him, it is shocking that the president is refusing to sign the bill into law now because he (Akufo-Addo) gave his consent during the preparation stage of the bill adding that the Office of the Attorney General was involved in the drafting of the bill.

Speaking in an interview on Adom FM, on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, Sosu said that the bill has gone through all the necessary stages and the reasons the president is giving for not assenting it does not make sense.

He added that the president was only running away from his duties.

“(sic) the meaning of established constitutional and legislative processes… you have seen the step-by-step, by step, by step approach to the passing of the legislation.

“For me, I think that it is a very lame excuse to run away from the obligations of the president,” he said.

Background:

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo refrained from assenting to three crucial bills, namely the Criminal Offences Amendment Bill 2023, the Wildlife Resources Management Bill 2023, and the Armed Forces Amendment Bill 2023, that are currently before him, citinewsroom.com reports.

On November 27, 2023, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, criticized the president for not communicating his position on the Criminal Offences Amendment Bill 2023, which aims to criminalize attacks on alleged witches.

In response, the presidency, in a communication, refuted having received the bill, along with two others, until November 27, 2023.

The Presidency also dismissed suggestions that they had decided not to assent to the bills.

However, in a letter addressed to Parliament on Monday, December 4, President Akufo-Addo informed the House of his inability to assent to the three bills until associated constitutional matters are resolved.

Speaker Alban Bagbin read the president's letter to members of the House, stating, "In the communication from His Excellency dated 27th November 2023, he signifies pursuant to Article 106, clause 7 that he is unable to assent to the Criminal Offences Number 2 Bill 2023 because, upon review of the bill, he noted some constitutional matters relating to its passage."

The Speaker further conveyed that President Akufo-Addo was yet to specify the exact constitutional matters that require resolution before he can assent to the three bills.

Watch Sosu's remarks in the video below:

Anti-witchcraft Bill: @NAkufoAddo reason for not signing the bill into law is a lame excuse - @fx_sosu #DwasoNsem

Dumsor Shatta Wale's Music Hilda Baci Mahama Man Utd Herh Ta Ta Ta Iyanya Nigeria antoine semenyo God is Good pic.twitter.com/aJMRuDV3aJ

— Adom 106.3 FM (@Adom1063fm) December 5, 2023