The Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini has challenged President Nana Akufo-Addo to declare his stance on issues relating to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movement.

Speaking to Host of the Morning Xpress on Radio XYZ 93.+1 MHZ, Neil Armstrong-Mortagbe, on Tuesday in relation to some groups that have started mounting pressure on Legislators to initiate discussions on LGBT, the former broadcaster blamed President Akufo-Addo for appearing to be yielding to the persuasion from such groups.

Members of Parliament (MPs), on Tuesday, May 22, 2018, were shocked when a group of LGBT advocates in Ghana stormed Parliament to demand their rights.

This corroborates reports that some LGBT groups had been lobbying some MPs to speak on their behalf and ensure that their rights and freedoms are guaranteed in the laws of Ghana.

But, Mr Suhuyini, who did not mince words, said Ghana was not ready for the legalization of LGBT, explaining that the group’s action is because President Akufo-Addo could not condemn the act outright when he was interviewed on CNN earlier this year.

“…It comes to me as strange that you have our current President on an international platform put it the way he did as if to say that we can’t do anything about it as a country… [the President said] the situation is the way it is because the agitations are low but eventually predicting that the agitations will grow and we’ll have no alternative than to let it happen,” he explained while citing that former Presidents, the late Professor JEA Mills and John Mahama made their stances clear to Ghanaians. For Alhassan Suhuyini, therefore, Mr Akufo-Addo should do same to clear the doubts in the mind of Ghanaians.

He commended the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Ocquaye, who has kicked against LGBT on various media platforms and asked President Akufo-Addo to do same so that Ghanaians will not read meanings into his interview with CNN.

“We have heard the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye, who has stated clearly that if there is an attempt to bring a Bill to Parliament that seeks to accommodate and legalise same-sex marriage in this country, he would resign as Speaker. That is a principled position. You don’t need to explain it to anybody; you can’t explain it in any other way, but our President, Nana Akufo-Addo, left us all choosing to believe what we think he meant depending on perhaps where we stand,” he added.

He went on to say that, although many, including some members of the clergy, have tried to read meanings into what the President said, to him, “If the President is not for same-sex [and] homosexuality, let him state so clearly.”