A human rights lawyer and Member of Parliament (MP) representing Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu has signaled his intention to potentially petition the ECOWAS court to compel President Akufo-Addo to sign both the witchcraft bill and the armed forces amendment bill into law.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the reasons provided by President Akufo-Addo for withholding assent, Sosu emphasised the importance of these bills in alignment with international conventions, particularly the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
“I will appeal to the President to assent to the witchcraft bill as well as the armed forces amendment bill. The reason the President is giving is honestly not reasonable. It is also the same with the witchcraft bill because the anti-witchcraft bill is a bill that is consistent with the UN Convention on elimination of all forms of discrimination against women.
“In my case, I am considering an action at the ECOWAS court for a declaration that the President’s continuous withholding of assent to those two critical bills that I led amounts to a violation of both our constitution and the human rights provisions in the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights in the UN Convention,” hFrancis Xavier-Sosu told TV3.
Highlighting the significance of the bills, especially the anti-witchcraft legislation, Sosu remarked that their enactment would reflect positively on the President’s legacy.
Sosu, who has championed numerous private member’s bills in Parliament, criticized President Akufo-Addo for what he perceives as a lack of transparency regarding his refusal to sign the bills, clarifying that Article 108 of the Constitution does not apply to the executive branch.
Despite his efforts, Sosu expressed doubts about the feasibility of garnering the necessary two-thirds majority in Parliament to override the President’s decision.