Addressing Parliament after the bill was passed, Ayariga rejected claims by the Minority that the legislation approved by the House is a diluted version of the bill that Parliament passed in 2024.
According to him, such arguments are merely an attempt to shield former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo from criticism over his decision not to assent to the earlier bill.
The Majority Leader maintained that neither the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government nor the party should be blamed for any aspect of the legislation.
He stressed that the bill is a private members’ initiative and not a government-sponsored policy, making accusations against the current administration misplaced.
Ayariga explained that Parliament is considering and processing a bill that was originally introduced by legislators themselves, not by the executive branch of government.
As a result, he questioned why the NDC administration was being targeted by critics over a process that is fundamentally parliamentary in nature.
He argued that the opposition’s criticism appears to be driven by a desire to draw parallels between the current government and the previous administration.
According to him, some members of the Minority are attempting to shift public attention away from the fact that the former president declined to approve the earlier version of the legislation.
The Bawku Central MP stated that efforts by the Minority to defend or justify Akufo-Addo’s actions on the matter would not succeed.
He insisted that the former president must take responsibility for his own decisions regarding the bill and should not be excused through attacks on the current government.
Ayariga also dismissed suggestions that the 2024 anti-LGBTQ+ bill was an initiative of the NDC. He reminded Parliament that at the time the bill was passed, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) held the majority in the House and had significant influence over the legislative process.
According to him, the bill that was eventually forwarded to former President Akufo-Addo reflected the version approved by the parliamentary majority at the time.
Therefore, he argued, it was inaccurate for members of the NPP to now portray the NDC as being responsible for presenting the legislation to the former president.
During his contribution on the floor of Parliament, Ayariga challenged the narrative being advanced by some opposition lawmakers, emphasizing that the legislative process that led to the bill reaching Akufo-Addo was largely driven by the parliamentary majority of that period.
His remarks have added a new dimension to the ongoing political debate surrounding the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, with both the Majority and Minority caucuses continuing to exchange differing views over responsibility for the legislation and the role played by the previous administration in its journey through Parliament.
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