Asanteman Council to resolve 2 chieftaincy disputes

Story: Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi
11/03/08
THE Asanteman Council has taken a major step to resolve two protracted chieftaincy disputes at Goaso and Mim, two traditional areas in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The Goaso chieftaincy dispute started after the abdication of the former Omanhene, Krotwiamansa Adjei Ampofo, in 2000, while that of Mim reared its head after the death of the Omanhene, Nana Kwaku Appiah, some 20 years ago.
At a meeting of the council at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, attended by paramount chiefs from the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, emphasised that it was only the Abusuapanin of the Goaso Royal Family, Opanin Yaw Barima, who had the authority to nominate a candidate to occupy the vacant stool.
Consequently, he asked Opanin Barima to “immediately” select one qualified person from the family and, together with the Queen, Nana Yaa Akyaa, present the nominee to him on April 10, 2008 to enable the nominee to swear the oath of allegiance to him.
With regard to the Mim dispute, where two chiefs are claiming the stool, Otumfuo Osei Tutu asked the two claimants to reappear before the council on April 10, 2008 to justify their rights to the stool.
The two chiefs in the dispute are Okofrobour Dr Yaw Agyei II, a retired associate professor in aeronautic engineering in the United States, and Nana Appiah Kusi Brempong, a businessman in Kumasi.
The Goaso chieftaincy dispute, which has lasted for about eight years, started when the last Omanhene, Krotwiamansa Adjei Ampofo, abdicated the stool.
Since then, the Abusuapanin and the queen have been engaged in a bitter conflict with either of them claiming to have the right to elect a successor to Nana Ampofo.
At the meeting at Manhyia, the Asantehene rejected the person the Queen of Goaso proposed to the Abusuapanin for consideration as the next Omanhene.
Instead, Otumfuo indicated that it was the Abusuapanin who, in that matter, had the right to select the nominee and present the person to the queen for onward swearing in at Manhyia.
The Asantehene said Goaso and Mim were under his authority and that he would make sure that peace was restored to the two areas to ensure accelerated development.
He asked the various factions in the disputes to remain calm and wait for the Asanteman Council to take the final decision, which would restore peace to their communities.