Kingmakers in the Akuapem Traditional Area, have been reminded to be transparent and stick to accepted customary practices in the nomination and installation of a new Okuapehene.
Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, the Okyehene, and President of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, said the stool should not be given to anybody, who had no title to it.
This comes as tension grows over the choice of a successor to the late Oseadeyo Addo Dankwah.
He said the procedure for installation of the Okuapehene was clear and asked that nobody attempted circumventing it, to create needless confusion and trouble in the area.
Two candidates are fighting over the vacant stool and addressing an end-of-year meeting of the chiefs in Koforidua, Osagyefo Amoatia said the region’s development should not be allowed to be held back by chieftaincy disputes.
He expressed worry about the spate of chieftaincy litigation in the area and said that was adversely affecting the operation of the regional house of chiefs.
He appealed to the Paramount Chiefs to act quickly to resolve any dispute in their areas of jurisdiction before things escalated.
He used the occasion to commend the government for the fee-free Senior High School (SHS) implementation.
Mr. Eric Kwakye Darfour, the Regional Minister, asked the chiefs to do everything to protect and preserve the nobility of the chieftaincy institution.
He added that the numerous chieftaincy disputes in the region had become a major threat to peace.
Source: GNA
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THANK YOU NANA, I have followed the story at akuapem and as a historian want to add my voice..it is a birthright to be a royal and therefore as our akan setup is,respect is giving the elderly not in terms of age but in lineage.The first consideration you do is to look at a family tree which has been with the family for a long time.If you have any issue as to "right person" you raise the issue long before when the stool is vacant so the such royal is taking out of the tree.You dont wait until such a name is mention when there is the need to fill inn the stool before you raise bloodline arguements.Secondly, i am privy to the various okuapeman chieftaincy rulings and i have come to realise an agreed settlement of the power of "ABREWATIA" in any of the 3 gates.Her function is to feed the OHEMEA as to who should be the next to occupy the stool....it is believe that the ABREWATIA title is giving to the eldest woman in terms of lineage who is believe knows every royal in the family.Having said that the OHEMAA in their context does not or should not ellude or arrogate to herself the sole power to install she does it in consultation with kingmakers who in their case have 11 includin the ohemaa.Having studied their process of which the ohemaa erred greatly in this one.The law must force her to rescind her position so the right thing will be done so to prevent such future occurances.