All Divisional Chiefs under the Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Area in the Central Region have kicked against the intended Destoolment of their Omanhene Obirifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea II.
They indicated strongly that, those who are plotting the said Destoolment are not clothed with the capacity to do so; hence any such Destoolment exercise is null and void.
Addressing the Media, Nana Kwabena Yamoah, Head of Family (Abusuapanyin) explained that Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Paramountcy is made up of Six Ruling Gates belonging to the Royal Asona Family.
According to him, Heads of these Six Gates installed Obirifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea II as the Paramount Chief after the demise of the former Chief.
He averred that, Obirifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea II has brought development into the communities and has since assumption of power as the Paramount Chief of the Gomoa Akyempim Trditional Area, brought peace and unity among the people.
He however challenged the capacities of the so-called Heads of families and Kingmakers who have hatched the inordinate attempt to unlawfully destool the Omanhene of the Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Area, Obirifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea II.
According to the lawful Heads of Families, the process which those self-acclaimed Heads and Kingmakers employed to destool the Omanhene is questionable since due procedures have not been followed.
He stressed that the Omanhene Obirifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea II was enstooled by the Kingmakers of all the Six (6) Royal Gates of the Royal Asona Family in 2001 after the demise of the late Okukutah Ahunaku Acquah I and has since held the enviable position.
“Some persons have risen up against him attempting to destool him from the position as Omanhene of the Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Area.
It was reported that a Petition for his destoolment was subsequently sent to the Paramount Quenmother, Obaatanpa Ama Eduwa I for the immediate destoolment of the Omanhene. Meanwhile, the so-called Elders and Kingmakers are not Heads of the Six Royal Gates,” he said.
“We have Six Gates and these are Garuba Gate, Dokua Gate, Adadzewa, Wordzibeyor, Mbrowa and the Osuan Gate; and each of these gates is represented by the Head of Family (Ebusuapanyin).
Also, the chieftaincy system practiced by the Royal family is the rotational system which permits a gate to appoint and nominate a chief when it gets to their turn,” he explained.
He mentioned that the decision being taken to destool the Omanhene is being spearheaded by one W.O. Annan from the Mbrowa Gate and that this Gate cannot take decision for all the Gates that made up the Paramountcy.
Meanwhile, it had been espoused that before a Chief can be destooled, all the gates represented by their Ebusuapanyin act together to arrive at the decision to destool a chief or not and such decision is the reported to the Regional House of Chiefs.
According to the explanation, a single Ebusuapanyin cannot act on behalf of all the six gates in such matters.
The Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Council has since declared its unflinching support for the Omanhene Obirifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea II and have warned persons who are hatching such plots to desist from that.
According to the Traditional Council, W. O. Annan and his group are trying to destabilize the peace in the area and indicated that in matters like this, the Asona Ebusuapanyin who is the Head of the Ebusuapanyins in the area must be consulted and notified of any attempt to destool a Chief but nothing of such has been done.
They averred that such act is against the chieftaincy institution which is now being regulated by the Act 370, the Chieftaincy Act, 2008 (Act 759) and Chieftaincy (Destoolment Proceedings) Regulation 1963 (LI309).
Nana Kwabena Yamoah indicated that the regulatory framework specifically Section 40 of Act 759 stipulates that such destoolment proceedings are to be commenced at the Judicial Committee of the appropriate judicial forums, and that in the instant case, the Central Regional House of Chiefs, since Obirifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea II is a paramount Chief.
He said a Paramount Chief cannot be summon to appear before a divisional chief in any jurisdiction and challenged his detractors to use the right channel in their attempt to destool him bearing in mind section 63 (f) of Chieftaincy Act, 2008 (Act 759) if indeed, they are have the legitimate right to do so.
“Obirifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea II has not been destooled and nobody can destool him. We are solidly behind him and we believe those doing that must desist from the act,” he said.