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If Akufo-Addo doesn’t sign anti-gay bill; I’ll sue him – Dafeamekpor

One of the sponsors of the recently passed anti-LGBTQ+ bill by Parliament, Rockson Dafeamekpor, has declared his intention to take legal action against President Akufo-Addo if he fails to assent to the bill within 14 days of receiving it from Parliament.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for South Dayi expressed his readiness to pursue the matter in the Supreme Court to compel President Akufo-Addo to fulfil his constitutional duties.

In an interview on JoyNews’ AM Show on Thursday, March 7, Mr Dafeamekpor emphasised that he and his fellow sponsors are unwavering in their commitment to seeing the bill enacted into law.

“As soon as we remit this to his office, time will begin to count and after 14 days if he doesn’t exercise responsibility, I’m going back to the Supreme Court to compel him to perform his constitutional function. I will sue the President,” he said.

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The legislator also asserted that Richard Dela Sky’s lawsuit against Parliament at the Supreme Court concerning the passage of the Anti-LGBTQ+ bill is destined to fail.

He pointed out that since the bill has not yet become law, Sky cannot file a lawsuit against it.

In his opinion, the Supreme Court should not consider the lawsuit and should instead dismiss it outright.

“It will fail because the law is very definite on such a matter. My position is grounded in law and I am confident of this.”

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“I expect the Supreme Court to throw it away. The Bill is not yet a law. It is part of a calculated agenda to delay it.”

After years of deliberation, the controversial bill was unanimously passed by legislators on February 28, 2024. Pressure is mounting on President Akufo-Addo from Members of Parliament to sign the bill into law.

However, the President has expressed his intention to withhold his assent until the court issues a ruling on the matter.

The bill proposes a three-to-five-year jail term for individuals who promote or sponsor LGBTQ activities, while those found engaging in such activities are subject to a minimum sentence of six months and a maximum of three years.

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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal

Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.


Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.

Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.

Here are the results in Zone Two

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Cervical Cancer alert: Avoid sex at early age

Dr Commeh

 The Programmes Manager of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) of the Ghana Health Ser­vice (GHS), Dr Mary Efua Commeh, has advised young girls to avoid sex at an early age.

This, she explained, will give the cervix the opportunity to mature be­fore they become sexually active.

“You need to delay what we call the first sexual intercourse as much as possible to give the cervix the oppor­tunity to mature before the person becomes sexually active,” she said.

Dr Commeh stated this in an in­terview with The Spectator in Accra on Tuesday as a part of the Cervical Cancer awareness month.

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According to her, cervical cancer was the second leading female cancer in Ghana with a total of about 3,072 cases annually, and out of that, 1,815 deaths are recorded, representing more than 50 per cent.

She indicated that “If young girls are going to be sexually active, then you need to talk to your parents about being vaccinated.”

She explained that vaccinating young girls against human papillomavi­rus (HPV) has been found to be a very effective way of preventing cervical cancer.

“There are countries that started HPV vaccination years ago and they are not seeing any cervical cancers now because they would have elim­inated most of the high-risk HPVs in their women. So if the high-risk HPV is not there, then obviously the results on cervical cancers are going to go down,” she added.

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Dr Commmey said the HPV vaccina­tion is recommended for young girls aged nine to 14 years, adding that it had been found to be highly effective, not just for cervical cancers but for other HPV-related cancers, such as anal cancers, cancers of the vagina, genital warts, amongst others.

She further elaborated that the idea is to put up a barrier before the HPV comes in and that once a young female encounters it, she is already protected.

She also mentioned that for cervical cancers, the main cause is called HPV infection, saying generally, all sexually active women acquire HPV at some point in their lives.

However, the Programmes Manager of NCDs at the GHS mentioned that the body has a way of clearing the HPV, explaining that it is a natural mechanism that goes on, unfortunate­ly, there are a few women whose HPV persists.

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Moreover, she noted that the num­bers for Cervical Cancer tend to be much higher because at times, clients would wait, and try all sorts of med­ications before they finally report to the health facility saying “we actually lose some women before they get to the hospitals with over 75 per cent of the cases coming in its third and fourth stages.”

Dr Commey, therefore, called for public awareness while ensuring the availability of information for preven­tion and control.

 By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu

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