The Office of the President of the Republic of Ghana has denied allegations made by the Speaker Parliament and the Minority Caucus in Parliament that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has declined to assent of the Anti-Witchcraft Bill 2022 which was passed by Parliament in July 2023.
In a statement issued by Eugene Arhin, the Director of Communications at the Office of the President on November 28 2023, the presidency indicated that claims that the Anti-Witchcraft Bill has been neglected by President Akufo-Addo are inaccurate.
According to Mr Eugene Arhin President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo only received the draft bill on Monday, November 27 2023, the same day the Speaker of Parliament made the allegations against President Akufo-Addo of delaying in the assent of the bill, hence the allegations cannot be true.
“The office of the President has noted recent media reports suggesting that the President has declined to assent to the Criminal Offences (Amendment) (No, 2)Bill, 2023 (the Bill), a legislative measure aimed at amending the Criminal Offences Act 1960(Act 29). Indeed, the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Honourable Alban Bagbin is reported on Monday, 27th November, to have rebuked Akufo-Addo over silence on the Criminal Offences Amendment Bill.
“It is important to state at the outset, that the amendment is specifically designed to outlaw the roles of witch doctors or witch-finders, in addition to prohibiting the act of declaring, accusing, naming, or labelling an individual as a witch, alongside other related matters. Contrary to the claims made in these reports by the Speaker of Parliament and the Minority Caucus in Parliament, President Akufo-Addo has not remained silent on the Bill”.
Eugene Arhin, Director of Communications, Office of the President
Mr Eugene Arhin further explained that the Anti-Witchcraft Bill was presented to the President for his assent together with the Wildlife Resources Management Bill, 2023 and the National Petroleum Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2023 by Parliament on the same day.
President Akufo-Addo Commits’ To The Provisions Of Article 106
Moreover, Mr Eugene Arhin, the Director of Communications at the Office of the President emphasized that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is very committed to abiding by the provisions of Article 106 of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.
He noted that under the constitutional provisions of Article 106 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is still within the legally stipulated timeframe to make any determination regarding the assent of the Anti-Witchcraft Bill.
According to him, President Akufo-Addo would examine the Anti-Witchcraft Bill as submitted to him by Parliament with all the attention it deserves to communicate any concerns or suggestions about the Bill to Parliament at the appropriate time.
In addition, Mr Eugene Arhin assured the general public, the media and all stakeholders concerned with the Anti-Witchcraft Bill that President Nana Addo Danka Akufo-Addo would give his ultimate consideration and attention to the Anti-Witchcraft Bill together with any other Bills which have been submitted to him by Parliament for his assent as required by the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and parliamentary practices.
The Anti-Witchcraft Bill, which was a private member’s bill sponsored by the Madina Member of Parliament, Honorable Francis Xavier Sosu was passed in July 2023 to prevent attacks on alleged witches and prohibit any persons from operating as a witch doctor or a witch-finder.
Additionally, the Bill seeks to prohibit the act of declaring, accusing, naming, or labelling an individual as a witch, among other related matters.
