The Nketiaah Royal Family of Akuapem Akropong has strongly rejected a petition circulating on social media against the Okuapehemaa, Nana Afua Obuo Nketiaah II, describing it as baseless, misleading and driven by individuals with no authority under Akuapem customary law.
In a detailed response addressed to the Registrar of the Akuapem Traditional Council and signed by solicitor Raymond Bagnabu Esq., the family stated that the petitioners, who claim to be Mpakanfo (Divisional Chiefs) of the Akuapem Traditional Area, lack the legal and customary standing to question the conduct of the Queenmother.
According to the statement, the petitioners are neither members of the Nketiaah Royal Family nor any of the three recognised royal houses, Nketiaah, Ama Ogyinae and Sakyiabia, from which occupants of the Ofori Kuma Stool are selected.
As such, the family insists they have no locus to initiate the petition.
The statement reaffirmed that Nana Afua Obuo Nketiaah II was duly installed in 2017 after all required customary processes were observed, following the passing of her predecessor, Nana Dokua I.
It further stressed that under Akuapem custom, the exclusive authority to nominate a candidate to occupy the Ofori Kuma Stool rests with the Okuapehemaa.
Referencing rulings by both the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs and the National House of Chiefs, the family explained that a previous nomination and enstoolment of a paramount chief was annulled in 2020 due to procedural breaches.
The courts consequently declared the stool vacant and directed that the nomination process be restarted by the Queenmother.
The family noted that since those rulings, Nana Afua Obuo Nketiaah II has not nominated any individual for enstoolment, insisting that anyone currently presenting himself as Okuapehene is doing so unlawfully.
On the issue of the Odwira Festival, the statement clarified that in the absence of a substantive Okuapehene, all rituals, planning and the announcement of festival dates fall solely under the authority of the Queenmother. Any attempt by other persons to organise or perform such rites without her consent, it said, amounts to a breach of Akuapem customs and traditions.
The response also dismissed accusations that the Okuapehemaa had refused to attend Traditional Council meetings, describing such claims as unfounded, particularly as there is no recognised paramount chief to chair such meetings.
It further pointed to court rulings restraining certain individuals from parading themselves as Okuapehene, including convictions for contempt.
Describing the petition as a calculated attempt to undermine and coerce the Queenmother into accepting a candidate she has not nominated, the family demanded a full retraction within seven days. Failure to comply, the statement warned, would result in legal action.
The response was copied to several traditional leaders within the Akuapem Traditional Area and senior members of the Nketiaah Royal Family.
