The inclusion of Nana Osei Nyarko III, the Paramount Chief of the Boso-Gua Traditional Area, by His Majesty Nana Amoatia Ofori Panin when he reconstituted the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs (ERHoC) has degenerated serious tension with an eminent chieftaincy clash within the Boso-Gua Traditional Area.
This possible chieftaincy explosion generally needs swift intervention by the state chieftaincy regulatory and national security authorities to avert the alarming situation.
In a strong worded press statement dated Saturday September 5, 2020, the Divisional Chiefs, sub chiefs, elders and thousands of residents of Boso-Gua Traditonal Area in the Eastern Region explained that Nana Osei Nyarko III has been the Omanhene and President of Boso-Gua Traditional Council until January 3, 2018 when he was legally and customarily Destooled by accredited kingmakers with the wide consultation of the heads of Boso-Gua Royal family and elders.
They indicated that Nana Osei Nyarko III was destooled by the kingmakers under the instructions of the then Head of the Boso-Gua Royal family, Mr John Kwaku Yeboah, now deceased.
This destoolment, they disclosed was executed as a result of Nana Osei Nyarko III arrogance, self-centeredness, disrespect for the citizens of the area and his abysmal performance as Omanhene, according to the chieftaincy act 759, 2008.
The chiefs of Boso-Gua Traditional Council who were in protest against the stance of Nana Amoatia Ofori Panin to add the name of the destooled Nana Osei Nyarko III to membership of re-structured ERHoC were from the four divisions; namely Adontenhene, Nifahene, Benkumhene and the Krontihene of Boso.
They pointed out that Nana Amoatia Ofori Panin, who doubles as the Paramount Chief of Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area and the members of the ERHoC were officially informed by accredited kingmakers and elders of Boso-Gua Royal family about the destoolment of Nana Osei Nyarko III as the Paramount Chief of Boso-Gua Traditional Area on January 3, 2018.
But, according to them, Okyehene and the members of the House still allowed the name of Nana Osei Nyarko III to be in the register of the ERHoC, thereby allowing and supporting him to participate in every chieftaincy and traditional activities of the House, saying that this move was amounted to complete breach of the Chieftaincy Act 759, 2008 and very unconstitutional.
They stated that Nana Amoatia Ofori Panin and his followers exhibited such misconduct without the recourse to the customs, usages, norms, and traditions of Boso-Gua Traditional Area, stressing that the attitudes of the Nana Amoatia Ofori Panin and his followers was a complete disastrous to the Boso-Gua Royal Stool.
The worrying development, according to them, had informed their current decision as the divisional chiefs, sub chiefs and elders of the Boso-Gua Traditional Area to issue this press statement.
They consequently called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of National House of Chiefs, Togbe Afede XIV, Chief Justice, Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, Attorney General and a member of the Council of State representing the Eastern Region, Nana Somuah Mireku Nyampong III, to immediately intervene in the matter by way of advising Amoatia Ofori Panin and his cohorts to do the right things which could forestall peace and tranquility in Boso-Gua Traditional Area.
They went to state that the chieftaincy and traditional misconduct of Amoatia Ofori Panin and membership of ERHoC have propensity to cause a bloody clash in the area, allerting that the state chieftaincy regulatory and national security authorities should not sit idle for disaster to happen before they take measures to avert the alarming situation.
They stated that, the Omanhene of the New Juaben Traditional Area, Daasebre Professor (Emeritus) Oti Boateng has vehemently protested against the composition of the re-structured Eastern Regional House of Chiefs and that the chief has subsequently written to the President of the National House of Chiefs,Togbe Afede XIV about what he terms as a “bizarre attempt to exclude the New Juaben Traditional Area from the re-structured Eastern Regional House of Chiefs (ERHoC).”
In the protest letter copied to the Chief Justice, Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, Attorney General Department and Ministry of Justice, a member of the Council of State representing the Eastern Region, Nana Somuah Mireku Nyampong III, they indicated that Daasebre Oti Boateng argued that there was a “capricious determination and selection of Divisional Chiefs, amongst various paramountcies.”
“It has become necessary as one of the Paramount Chiefs of the ERHoC to speak on this new proposal initiated by the President of the ERHoC without due consultation in order to preserve the hierarchical structure of the Chieftaincy institution,” the letter noted.
According to the divisional chiefs of Boso-Gua Traditional Area, they were absolutely in support of Daasebre Oti Boateng for protesting the composition of the re-structured Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, since the destooled Nana Osei Nyarko III still on the register of the membership of ERHoC.
They indicated that Daasebre Oti Boateng however was very clear in his protest letter and had vividly detailed what he sees as very legitimate concerns against the move taken by Amoatia Ofori Panin.
“Our primary purpose for this release is to basically announce to the general public that, we the members of the Boso-Gua Traditional Council do throw our unflinching support to the stance that Daasebre Oti Boateng has taken against the move by Amoatia Ofori Panin.
“We do not accept the list of persons selected to represent our community at the ERHoC,” the chiefs stressed.
In this vein, chiefs announced to the general public that Nana Osei Nyarko III has been destooled and the Boso-Gua community does not recognize and support him as Omanhene anymore.
They noted that “Our reason however for taking this stance is that there have not been any communications with us specifically addressing the new move initiated by Amoatia Ofori Panin.
The chiefs indicated that they have not been involved in the processes that were used to select members to represent their community at the ERHoC.
They added that: “We have interestingly noticed in the proposed reconsitution document, Boso-Gua has been allocated three slots and we are represented at ERHoC by the following which includes Gyaasehene of Boso, Ankobeahene of Boso, Adontenhene who is currently deceased.”
They explained that “The fact is, going by the customs of our community, the Gyasehene and the Ankobeahene do not qualify to be Divisional Chiefs.”
The chiefs mentioned that there are rather sub-chiefs who serve under the Omanhene, adding that they do not have a rule that every chief who serves under the Omanhene is a Divisional Chief.
The chiefs and elders averred that “For almost five years now, as far as we are concerned, there has not been any communications between the House of Chiefs and our community.”
They added that “We have on several occasions petitioned the registrar at Boso about this hijack of our community and his response to us has always been that he is instructed to send all letters to Nana Osei Nyarko III in Accra.”
“Quite unusual but we have also wondered why through the almost eight (8) years of Amoatia Ofori Panin’s Presidency at the ERHoC, he has never paid a visit to his Vice President’s community which happens to be this community. We are not sure he knows what goes on here and maybe he never cared to know.
“We have no doubt but to believe that, with support from Amoatia Ofori Panin, Nana Osei Nyarko lll has misused his position at the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs to intimidate and block any concerns or grievances raised by our community,” they disclosed.
The Chiefs pleaded with the legislators and other authorities of in Ghana not to accept the proposal put forward by Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin and demanded that the right procedures are followed and the necessary steps are taken to restore the credibility of the ERHoC.
