'Baseless and vile fabrication': Presidency denies approving gay marriage

The Jubilee House has denied as "baseless and vile fabrication" comments by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) General Secretary that President Nana Akufo-Addo has approved gay marriage.

Pulse.com.gh reported the NDC General Secretary telling thousands of NDC supporters that President Akufo-Addo has approved gay marriage.

"Nana Addo says men will marry men, and women will marry women," he said.

But a statement signed by Jubilee House Communications Director, Eugene Arhin, said the president has stated anywhere that, "under his presidency, 'men will marry men and women will marry women'"

"This is nothing is nothing but a baseless and vile fabrication , by no less a person than the General Secretary of the leading opposition party," the statement said."For the avoidance of doubt, President Akufo-Addo has NEVER stated anywhere that under his presidency, 'men will marry men, and women will marry women."

The Jubilee House statement said the President is focused on delivering on his mandate, and improving on the quality of lives of the Ghanaian people. "It will not be under his presidency that same-sex marriage will be legalised in Ghana," according to the statament.

The presidency further noted that it will not demand apology or retraction from the NDC General Secretary, saying he is "still stuck in the age of the politics of lies, deceit and propaganda."

"We will rather appeal to Ghanaians to, once again, ignore the falsehoods of the NDC, and urge Mr Asiedu Nketia to concentrate his energies on uniting his divided and discredited party," the statement concluded.

President Akufo-Addo has in the last few days come under pressure to declare his stance on gay marriage after he claimed last year in an Aljazeera interview that homosexuality in Ghana was bound to happen.

He had said homosexuality is a social-cultural issue, adding that there has not been sufficiently strong coalition that has impacted public opinion on the need to legalise gay marriage.

"These the socio-cultural issues if you like. I don’t believe in Ghana so far, a sufficiently strong coalition has emerged which is having that impact on public opinion that would say ‘change it, let have a new paradigm in Ghana," he said.

He added:“I think that it is something that is bound to happen and when that happens..."