Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has stated that disagreements over the status of Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ Bill may have played a role in the removal of Mahama Ayariga as Majority Leader in Parliament.

Speaking on the issue on a panel discussion on TV3 on August 8, 2026, Kpebu emphasised that his comments were based on his personal assessment of political developments and should not be interpreted as confirmation of the reasons behind the leadership change within the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).

According to him, there is a noticeable divergence between the position held by Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin and that of the former Majority Leader regarding the bill’s legislative status.

Kpebu noted that Speaker Bagbin has consistently argued that procedural irregularities affected the passage of the legislation, making it difficult to regard it as properly passed by Parliament. Ayariga, however, has maintained that Parliament successfully passed the bill and that it only requires presidential assent to become law.

“The Majority Leader’s position has been that the bill was passed and the President should proceed to sign it,” Kpebu stated.

He argued that the conflicting views could create challenges for any attempt by the government to revisit or reconsider the legislation, a position he believes aligns with both the Speaker and President John Mahama.

Kpebu explained that retaining Ayariga in the Majority Leader role would have made efforts to reopen discussions on the bill more difficult, given the former Majority Leader’s firm stance that Parliament had already completed its work on the legislation.

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He described this disagreement as a possible “rational basis” for Ayariga’s removal, while acknowledging that other considerations may also have influenced the decision.

The lawyer further stressed that the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill remains a matter of international interest, attracting reactions from foreign governments and development partners.

According to Kpebu, the implications of the bill extend beyond domestic politics, with potential consequences for Ghana’s diplomatic and development relationships.

He maintained that it would be difficult for the Speaker and the President to advocate a reconsideration of the bill while the Majority Leader continued to insist that it had already been validly passed by Parliament.

Kpebu added that the appointment of a new Majority Leader could potentially pave the way for a different strategy on the contentious legislation.

Despite his observations, he reiterated that his comments were merely an analysis of events and should not be viewed as definitive evidence of the reasons behind Ayariga’s removal and given a ministerial position in Mahama's government.

“What I’m saying is that, if you are doing rational analysis, you cannot discount that possibility,” he said.

AM

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