Member of Parliament for Tamale Central Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, has charged that the spearheaders of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill in parliament will not surrender to the calls by disgruntled groups to back down on their agenda to assert the importance of Ghanaian culture and family values in the country.

He thus pointed out that he has respect for the Academics Against Anti-LGBTQ+ bill and their contribution to knowledge but described their memorandum to parliament as “completely insulting” and “condescending” towards parliamentarians doing their job to safeguard the sanctity of Ghanaian norms and culture.

Mr Mohammed stated that it is the 1992 constitution that gives them the privy to promulgate the proposed bill in parliament and thus gives room for dissent against the bill.

He said in the memorandum the group presented to parliament, they questioned the capacity of parliament and the legislators proposing such a bill in the august house.

Mr Mohammed stated that the memorandum by the Academics Against Anti-LGBTQ+ bill was presented as if the country is made up of only Christians and that it is only that religious group that is against it but he said Muslims, Traditionalists and even non religious people are equally unequivocal about it.

He said the valid point they are raising by the passing of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill is to safeguard against what is anathema to the Ghanaian cultural values.

Mr Mohammed charged that even if the parliamentarians are lying on the floor of parliament choking under the weight of pressure, they shall not surrender to what he described as “nonsense” in the country.

He made this charge in an interview with Johnnie Hughes on the New Day show on TV3, Monday, October 11.

The Tamale Central legislator was reacting on the back of the passage of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill that has been laid before parliament, generating a lot of support and opprobrium from all quarters of the country, especially from a group calling itself Academics Against Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill in parliament.

“I want the United Kingdom and America to understand that even if we are choking in our own blood we will not surrender to this nonsense. We will not surrender because it is an affront to our values. It is an affront to our culture, it is an affront to our religion. We will not surrender because it is an affront to our religion. We will not surrender because it is an affront to our laws, this government must have a position”, he charged on the New Day.