Akwamufie chieftaincy dispute resolved
The 21-year-old Akwamufie chieftaincy dispute has been resolved amicably by the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs.
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This followed the adoption of a report submitted to a three-member Judicial Committee of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs by the Paramount Chief of Kukuom in the Brong Ahafo Region, Osahene Kwaku Aterkyi, to have the matter settled out of court.
The report was unanimously endorsed by the two royal families, the Yaa Ansah and the Yaa Botwe houses, at a sitting of the Judicial Committee of the house last week.
Following the adoption of the report, the Judicial Committee of the house has struck the case as having been resolved amicably.
The decision of the committee to struck out the case was delivered by counsel of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, Mr E. L. Kwaku Darko, in the presence of the committee which was chaired by the Omanhene of New Juaben, Daasebre (Prof.) Oti Boateng.
Other members of the committee were the Omanhene of the Akyem Bosome Traditional Area, Nana Okotwaasuo Kantamanto Oware Agyekum III, and the Omanhene of Boso Gua Traditional Area, Nana Osei Nyarko III.
The verdict hearing attracted members of the two opposing royal families, the Yaa Ansah and the Yaa Botwe houses.
They included the Omanhene of Akwamufie, Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III, the queen of the area, Nana Afrakoma II, sub-chiefs, as well as members of the opposing Botwe Family.
There was a heavy armed police presence on the premises of the house to forestall any potential outbreak of violence.
Delivering the verdict, the counsel of the house told the parties that the chief of Kukuom, who is also the immediate past president of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, approached the Judicial Committee of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs on April 16, 2013 and pleaded for amicable out-of-court settlement of the dispute.
The Judicial Committee, he stated, granted the Kukuom chief’s request after putting the issue before the parties and their counsel who agreed unanimously to have the matter settled out of court.
Mr Darko said the committee pointed out that the Kukuomhene submitted his report to the Judicial Committee on June 18, this year.
Among the findings in the report submitted to the Judicial Committee of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs by the Kukuomhene were that the paramount stool of Akwamufie should be ascended to on rotational basis.
The agreement, arrived at using the ADR system, also suggested that there would be one Abusuapanyin for both royal families and that whenever such family head passed away, the two sides should meet to elect another one.
With regard to the queenmother of the area, the report indicated that in the event of the death of the queenmother of the area, the vacant seat should be occupied by a member of the Yaa Ansah Family, given that the seat was presently occupied by Nana Afrakoma from the Yaa Botwe Family.
The report also found out that the late Omanhene of Akwamufie, Nana Kyeremanteng Afranie, ruled for 18 years as the paramount chief from the Yaa Ansah Family and on the basis of the agreed rotational basis, it was the turn of the Yaa Botwe Family.
The Akwamufie chieftaincy dispute emerged 21 years ago when the queenmother, Nana Afrakuma, declined to recognise the Paramount Chief of the area, Nana Kyeremanteng Afranie II, as a royal and took him to court.
Nana Afranie, who hailed from the Yaa Ansah Gate and ruled for 18 years, however, passed away in 2009.
After his death, there was the need to install a new chief and Nana Afrakuma’s nomination was contested by the Yaa Ansah Royal Family on the grounds that the late chief was not gazetted as he was taken to court by the queen for not being a royal.
On that basis, the members of the Yaa Ansah Family were of the view that it was still their turn to nominate their candidate to ascend the paramount stool of Akwamufie.
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The move was kicked against by Nana Afrakuma and the kingmakers who were reported to have installed the late paramount chief.
The protracted case was put before the Judicial Committee of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs this year but the Kukuomhene approached the house to have the matter settled amicably out of court.
During the arbitration of the case in 2013, the arbitrators realised that since the late chief ruled for 18 years and resided at the palace and attended social events as paramount chief, he was a chief of the area.
He was, therefore, to be given a befitting burial in recognition of his status.
By Nana Konadu Agyeman/Ghana
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