Controversy erupts as Ghana's president rejects Anti-Witchcraft Bill: summary

What we know

• Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has declined the signing into law of three bills that seek to amend the Criminal and other Offences Act to criminalise accusations of witchcraft and abolish the death penalty and Wildlife Resources Bill.
• The bills are the Criminal Offences Amendment Bill 2023, the Wildlife Resources Management Bill 2023, and the Armed Forces Amendment Bill 2023. According to the president, some of the bills infringe on some constitutional provisions of the republic.
• The controversy began when the Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin questioned why the President was silent about the subject of the bill which seeks to criminalise attacks on persons alleged to be witches when it had been passed by parliament.
• The president’s decision has since generated controversy from sections of the public with many people accusing him of violating the 1992 Constitution by refusing to assent to the Anti-Witchcraft Bill.
• The bill which was introduced as a Private Member’s Bill is being sponsored by Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu.

What they said

Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has expressed displeasure about the president’s decision. According to him, the president invited him to discuss the matter and “when he raised this, I told him that I completely disagree with him and I gave my reasons,” he was quoted by local news outlet Ghana News Agency. Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga has also called for the impeachment of the President. According to him, the president cannot make a unilateral decision not to assent the bill after it has been passed by parliament. “I think that what we should be beginning to do now is to trigger the constitutional provisions for impeaching the president. President Akufo-Addo has violated the constitution and we must not take it lightly,” he was quoted by media outlet GhanaWeb. Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu has described the president’s decision as unfortunate. “The president is acting unconstitutionally. It is the role of the Speaker to tell the President in his face that he is acting unconstitutionally and I think that’s exactly what the Speaker has done,” Francis was quoted by 3news.