BREAKING NEWS: MPs call on Tinubu to suspend implementation of Samoa Accord over LGBT allegations

• Amid heavy criticism, the House of Representatives has sent an important message to President Tinubu
• Representatives advised the federal government on Tuesday to stop implementing the Samoa agreement until all questions have been clarified
• The House of Representatives decided to investigate the controversial provisions of the agreement after Minority Leader Aliyu Madaki raised concerns.

Legit.ng Journalist Esther Odili has more than two years of experience in reporting on political parties and movements

On Tuesday, July 9, the House of Representatives called on the federal government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to suspend the implementation of the Samoa Accord because of its alleged lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender clause.

In tabling the motion on Tuesday, Minority Leader Aliyu Madaki drew the attention of the House of Representatives to the clause highlighting “gender equality”, describing it as a Trojan horse that could go against the country’s morals.

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However, the legislative chamber instructed its national planning committee to examine the agreement within four weeks and report back for further legislative action, Channels TV reported.

As The Punch reported, the House resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance tabled by Madaki and 87 others in the Green Chamber during Tuesday’s plenary session.

Legit.ng The Samoa Agreement is the overarching legal framework for the European Union’s relations with 79 countries, including 48 African, 16 Caribbean and 15 Pacific countries.

On June 28, a national daily newspaper claimed in its editorial that the agreement contained a clause legalizing same-sex relations in Nigeria.

In a swift response, the federal government, through the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, and his counterpart in the Ministry of Information, Mohammed Idris, denied the allegation, saying that there are “existing laws against same-sex relationships” in Nigeria.

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The Tinubu-led government also threatened legal action against the media house.

LGBTQ: NBA addresses controversy over Samoa agreement

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has responded to the Samoa Agreement controversy.

NBA President Yakubu Maikyau clarified that the Samoa Accord signed by the Nigerian government does not contain any provisions on LGBTQ rights.

Maikyau called for caution and adequate education as negative portrayals of the agreement were being spread along religious and cultural lines.

Source: Legit.ng