Accra: 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.
According to Ghana Web, Safo argued on Peace FM 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 questioned. Safo emphasized that experienced members of Parliament were aware of the problems with the original bill.
Safo also expressed frustration with some Ghanaians who refused to acknowledge valid points when they came from the opposing political camp. He remarked, “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.”
The original Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill was passed unanimously by Ghana’s 8th Parliament on February 28, 2024, with bipartisan support. However, legal practitioner and journalist Richard Sky challenged the bill in the Supreme Court, arguing it violated fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Ghanaian Constitution. The Supreme Court dismissed Sky’s petition in December 2024, ruling the challenge premature as the bill had not yet received presidential assent.
The bill lapsed when Parliament dissolved before the 2024 general election after 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.”
Safo pointed out the irony that the NDC campaigned hardest for the bill in 2024 but ultimately signed a softer version in 2026. He stated, “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.”