Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has accused the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) of abandoning its earlier stance on the anti-LGBTQI+ Bill, calling the recent amendments “political double standards and hypocrisy.”
Speaking in Parliament on Friday, May 29, 2026, ahead of the bill’s passage, Afenyo-Markin said the NDC, which opposed any changes while in opposition, has now watered-down key provisions since coming to power.
“For our friends in the Majority, this evening the country has witnessed an unprincipled political act,” he said. “They may try to act smart, but smartness does not last. Integrity lasts.”
The Effutu MP recalled that during the 8th Parliament, NDC members rejected suggestions from the then NPP Majority to amend problematic clauses in the bill, despite warnings of potential legal challenges.
“Today, as they take responsibility for governance, they realise that indeed the issues we raised are still critical,” he said.
Afenyo-Markin argued that the NDC has now changed the same law it once urged former President Nana Akufo-Addo to sign. “The very law that they wanted Nana Akufo-Addo to sign, when faced with it themselves, they amended and diluted it.
Such a double standard does not pass for a man with principles,” he stated. Quoting Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s Weep Not, Child, he said, “The ravening clouds shall not long be victorious. They shall not long possess the sky,” suggesting that what he called political inconsistency would eventually be exposed.
He urged political parties to maintain consistent positions in opposition and government. “It is not enough to say one thing in opposition and, when you get power, change your stand thinking nobody can read through it,” he said.
Afenyo-Markin challenged the NDC to explain the differences between the original bill and the revised version passed last Friday. He called on religious leaders, traditional authorities, and civil society to compare both versions and assess whether the amendments weakened the bill’s intent.
“Who in this country is the NDC trying to deceive? The religious leaders? Our chiefs? Our civil society?” he asked. He suggested the amendments showed the government knew the original bill would be difficult for President Mahama to sign.
“I know that indeed President Mahama could not have signed that bill, and the NDC knows that they cannot present the same bill,” he said. The Minority Leader also questioned the commitment of some bill sponsors, noting that several NDC MPs, including Emmanuel Kwesi Bedzrah, Sam Nartey George, Naa Adoley Sowah, and Helen Adjoa Ntoso, were absent during critical stages of the debate and voting.
“At this critical stage, none of the NDC sponsors of this bill was in the chamber,” he said, arguing it reflected a lack of commitment to the principles they once championed.
Afenyo-Markin broadened his criticism to other government policies, accusing the NDC of abandoning campaign promises on taxation, utility tariffs, jobs, and compensation for victims of the financial sector collapse.
He cited the Electronic Transfer Levy, saying the NDC campaigned against it but later introduced the “Dumsor Levy” which he said placed a similar burden on Ghanaians. He also pointed to recent increases in electricity and water tariffs and said little had been done on the party’s pledge to create “one job, three shifts.”
“You said you were going to create one job, three shifts. Nothing,” he said. Looking ahead to the 2028 elections, Afenyo-Markin said voters would judge whether the NDC had kept faith with its promises. “2028 is not far away,” he warned. “Political fortunes can change rapidly.”
