The Member of Parliament for the Madina constituency in Accra, Francis-Xavier Sosu of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has accused President Akufo-Addo of attempting to impede the work of Parliament by not signing into law three bills passed by the House.

President Akufo-Addo has decided to withhold his signature from three bills recently passed by Parliament. The president cited constitutional concerns as the basis for his refusal to sign these bills.

The contested bills include two amendments to the Criminal and other Offences Act, aiming to criminalize the accusation of witchcraft, abolish the death penalty, and the Wildlife Resources Bill.

Mr Sosu argues that the President is selectively interpreting Article 108 of the constitution to serve his own interests.

Speaking to the media in Parliament on Tuesday, December 5, Mr Sosu clarified that Article 108, often cited as limiting Private Member Bills, is not relevant to President Akufo-Addo's obligation to sign bills passed by Parliament.

He emphasized that Article 108 pertains to the regulation of the parliamentary process, allowing the presiding individual to reject a bill if there is a belief that it may impose charges on the consolidated fund.

“But when the motion has properly been admitted, has gone through all the processes, and has been passed into law, it will be really incongruous for a sitting president to say that because he believes it may cause a charge,” he said.

“All this while, where has the president been, all these constitutional issues have not been with us.

“I believe that what the president is doing is a deliberate effort to frustrate the laws that have been passed by this Parliament and it is very untenable, it’s unacceptable, I don’t believe that it’s a good practice that would aid our democracy,” Mr Sosu stressed.