The Council of Elders and Head of family of Adjuwate We’ of Osu has issued a statement to roundly condemn what they deem as misconduct on the part of a certain Nii Saban Atsen who supposedly released an unguarded press statement purporting to have indefinitely suspended the Osiahene of Osu, Nii Nortey Adumuah IV.
This statement is also aptly captured in a letter delivered to the Minister of Chieftaincy and copied to a few others to correct that unfortunate and erroneous publication by Nii Saban Atsen. Others copied include the Registrar (Osu Traditional Council), the Registrar of GAR House of Chiefs, the Chairman of RESEC and the Chairman of MUSEC
Below is the full text of their statement;
The Council of Elders and the Head of Family of Adjuwate have sighted a letter posted on
GhanaWeb, an online media platform, from certain persons calling themselves Dsaase of Osu
Kinkawe. The said letter was purporting to have dismissed Nii Nortey Adumuah the substantive
OSIAHENE IV of the Osu Stool. We call on the general public to disregard that letter in its entirety and treat it with the contempt it deserves.
The Osu Kinkawe Dzaase is made up of four (4) customarily installed office holders who form the core of the Dzaase. In addition to these, family heads of certain houses also attend meeting as non-voting observers. The houses are, Adjuwate, Teinor We, Odartey Sro We, and Adukpono, and the Owuo We Principal Royal House, and Dowuona We Royal house. Out of these noble and royal houses, Adjuwate provides the Osiahene, Odartey Sro provides the Atofotse. The role of Dzaasetse has historically come from either Odartey Sro or Adukpono.
It must be noted that as at now, the Kinkawe Dzaase has been split into three [3]. Teinor We left the Dzaase early this year sighting irregularities and fraudulent sale of Osu properties.
Adjuwate and Odartey Sro We also left because of similar reasons. As it stands now Adjuwate and Odartey Sro We forms the majority of the Dzaase and their decisions must be respected.
We state in unequivocal terms that Nii Saban Astem has no such right nor locus to issue statements on behalf of the Kinkawe Dzaase, let alone dismiss anybody from the dzaase.
Neither do the persons who have self-declared themselves as Dzaasetse and Wulomo, both from Osu Ashante, have the capacity to dismiss kinkanwe leaders. The need for Nii Saban Atsen to include these persons as signatories in his various letters show his vulnerability and lack of capacity to act. He stands alone and has no teeth to bite, since the Kinkawe Dzaase is a body that relies on a simple-majority decision making body. He has surrounded himself with miscreants and strangers to create an unnecessary chaos.
The aforementioned letter is distasteful and full of lies and distortions. Under normal circumstances we would have ignored the recklessness with which this letter was written.
However, it seems Nii Saban Atsen and his cohort do not wish to learn the facts and history of Osu and its traditional system of governance. Nii Saban Atsen in equal a member of the Dzaase and not the owner of it, the public should take note.
We further state that the only authority to suspend or destool a Dzaase member is by majority decision. This is after his family has been duly informed, and a hearing is given by the collective membership of the Dzaase. Anything short of the above is considered fraudulent and counter to established traditional governance of Osu.
Nii Saban Atsen has been arrogating to himself powers neither he nor his predecessors have wielded just to deceive the public. We are by this medium warning him to desist from it, and to offer unreserved apologies to Adjuwate House, the only house with the authority to perform the final rites to qualify any approved candidate as Osu Mantse.
Failure to stop and discontinue the fraudulent, self-styled acts will be met with strong legal Action
