Former senate president has said that ex-president made the National Assembly delay passing the anti-gay bill because of concerns of former United States president.
David Mark & Jonathan
While speaking a new book titled, 'Against The Run Of Play', written by Olusegun Adeniyi, former Senate President, David Mark, 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.
He said; “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.
“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-s*x 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,” he said.
The same-s*x 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.