A Communication team member of the ruling National Democratic Congress, Japhet Festus Gbede, has accused the former New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration led by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia of deliberately refusing to assent to the LGBTQ+ bill before exiting office.

Speaking on Kaleawo FM’s newspaper review segment hosted by Agbemabiese Makafui, popularly known as Trump, Gbede stated that the NPP’s posture on the matter amounted to what he described as “a subtle endorsement” of the LGBTQ+ agenda during their tenure.

According to him, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration had more than enough time and authority to act on the bill but chose not to, a situation he believes “betrayed the cultural and moral expectations of the Ghanaian people.”

“If the NPP were genuinely committed to protecting Ghanaian values, President Akufo-Addo would have signed the LGBTQ+ bill long before leaving office. Their silence and inaction were not accidental; it was a calculated decision,” he asserted.

Gbede, the fire brand communications team member of the Akatsi South NDC cautioned the NPP to refrain from commenting on the current progress being made by the government of President John Dramani Mahama on the same bill, insisting that they lack the moral standing to do so.

“The NPP should remain quiet as President Mahama works to complete the process they abandoned. They had every opportunity and failed. Mahama is doing what they were afraid to do,” he added.

He further assured the public that President Mahama remains committed to ensuring that the bill, once returned to Parliament, is processed and assented to without any external influence.

“President Mahama has always put Ghana first. He is bold, resolute, and will do everything humanly possible to ensure that the cultural identity of Ghanaians is protected. The bill will be passed into law,” he emphasised.

Japhet Festus Gbede’s remarks have since generated reactions from political observers, with some agreeing that the issue has become a major point of ideological contrast between the NDC and the NPP.