Former Senate President, David Mark, has revealed that former President, Goodluck Jonathan, delayed the National Assembly from passing the anti-gay bill, because former US President ,Barack Obama raised concerns about him seeking re-election at the time.
Mark made this claim in Olusegun Adeniyi’s new book, ‘Against The Run Of Play’.
“President Jonathan called me that President Obama had sent to him a message of concerns about the bill. That was in 2012 at a time Obama was seeking a second term in office,” he said.
“President Jonathan asked what could be done and I told him that not only was I committed to the passage of the bill that was also the position of the National Assembly.
“I said the only thing I could do was delay its passage till after the American presidential election. But I assured him that the same-sex marriage was not something we would legalise in Nigeria.
“We delayed it for a few months after that, but we eventually passed the bill into law and President Jonathan had to assent.”
The same-sex marriage bill was passed in May 2013 and Jonathan signed it into law in January 2014.
The law prescribes 14 years imprisonment for those convicted of homosexuality.
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