Ekwamkrom Chieftaincy Brouhaha And Matters Arising

Nana Ekwam X during one of the rituals before his enstoolment in 2017 and swearing to the Omanhene

The former Medical Director of Health Services in the New Juaben Municipality, Dr Edmund Ekow Kaitoo recently indicated that he has been enstooled as the chief of Gomoa Ekwamkrom, a community in the Gomoa Ajumako Traditional Area in the Central Region of Ghana.

Dr Kaitoo, who has purportedly named himself as Okogyeoman Ewuahaa II, has been quoted to have claimed that he was going to occupy a stool which has been vacant for a period of eight years.

Meanwhile, the Kingmakers have categorically stated that the claims by Dr. Kaitoo that the stool has been vacant for eight years was not just unfortunate and ridiculous but also palpable falsehood and malicious disinformation which has been intentionally put out to misinform the general public and to particularly, hoodwink the good people of Ekwamkrom into agreeing to his spitefully circulated story of being enstooled as the chief of the town, and that is an affront to the Kingmakers and the stool itself.

This is because Nana Kobina Ekwam X was the legitimate Odikro of Ekwamkrom and Wirempemhen of Gomoa Ajumako Traditional Area from July 2017 to February 2023.

As a matter of fact, for Dr. Kaitoo to keep parading himself as the Odikro of Ekwamkrom is questionable because he has refused to avail himself to customary rites and rituals which ought to be performed by the royal family to legitimise and signify that he has actually mounted the Black Stool.

Preamble to the issues.
To put the issues in their rightful perspective, it is instructive to mention that when Nana Kobina Ekwam X was enstooled as the Odikro of Ekwamkrom in 2017, Dr. Kaitoo and his bloodline fiercely contested that they had the right to also mount or ascend the Odikro Black Stool because they thought in their widest dream that they were legitimate royals.

As a matter of fact, the issue was litigated upon at the judicial committee of Gomoa Ajumako Traditional Council from July 2017 to March 2019.

Dr. Kaitoo and his bloodline lost terribly after several months of litigation which re-established and affirmed the fact that though they have been assimilated into the Royal Family, they were not legitimate or eligible to sit on or mount the Odikro Black Stool.

However, an erroneous traditional blunder occurred some years ago when one person from his gate was illegitimately allowed to mount the Black Stool but even when that avoidable error was committed, the status quo regarding the title was still maintained in pursuant to the customs and tradition of the stool where the Ekwam name was still retained but even with that this did not pass without a dire consequence.

To give credence to this, it is cardinal to establish that the blunder was later rectified and specific customary and traditional rites were performed to pacify the stool.

All these facts among others which traditionally and customary illustrated that Dr Kaitoo and his bloodline were not legitimate or eligible to mount the Black Stool were revealed during the trial by the Judicial Committee of the Gomoa Ajumako Traditional Council.

Following the constant threats, hooliganism and needless litigations which were allegedly fueled by Dr Kaitoo and his people in their quest to ascend the Black Stool, Nana Kobina Ekwam X who was the Odikro of the town, decided to step down or resign from his position as the Odikro and allow Dr Kwaitoo who was alleged to be highly instrumental in the disturbances in the town to occupy the Black Stool if indeed his claim to be legitimate royal and eligible to mount the Black Stool was of no consequence.

Nana Kobina Ekwam X who is currently the Wirempemhen of Gomoa Ajumako Traditional Area resigned ONLY the Odikro title in February 2023, and as it was expected, traditional and other outdoor customary rites were to be performed by the Royal Family through the Wirampemhen who is the head of the Kingmakers to have Dr Kaitoo properly and officially enstooled but this was not done.

Strangely, Dr Kwaitoo, for reasons best known to him, has refused to comply with and subject himself to the said tradition and customary rites and rituals which must be performed by the Kingmakers to get him mount the Black Stool to signify he has been enstooled properly by the Royal Family of Ekwamkrom.

Additionally, other indoor rituals which ought to be performed by the royal family after which Dr Kaitoo would have been said to occupy the Odikro Black Stool to signify his enstoolment were also not done.

It must be noted that currently, the Royals of the town and the Kingmakers do not recognise Dr Kaitoo with his strange Ewuahaa name because they don't know which Black Stool he occupies because since time immemorial there is only one Odikro Black Stool in the history of Ekwamkrom and nothing more.

The question is, why is Dr Kaitoo running away from the Black Stool if he claims to be a legitimate royal and could therefore mount it?

It must be put on record that Nana Kobina Ekwam X was nominated, selected and enstooled as the Odikro of Ekwamkrom in July 2017 after all traditional and customary rites were duly followed and performed as required, and following his lawful mounting of the stool as the Odikro, he also became the Wirempemhen of the Gomoa Ajumako Traditional Area, a title that his late uncles meritoriously won and has since been preserved for the family.

From the above narrations, Dr Kaitoo’s claim that the stool has been vacant for eight years is completely false and misleading because Nana Kobina Ekwam X was legitimately enstooled in 2017 and had reigned till February 2023 when in his quest for peace, he sarcastically decided to relinquish the Odikro title to Dr Kaitoo and dared him to sit on the Black Stool but maintained the Wirempemhen title for the traditional area.

Dr Kaitoo must therefore be made to explain to the general public and the discerning people of Ekwamkrom in particular, who performed the customary rituals for him to mount the Black Stool to signify his enstoolment?

Does Ewuahaa have a Black Stool or he pays homage to the same Ekwam Black Stool? He must answer.

The public must therefore disregard his fallacious and malicious claims because he can only be recognised as such after the royal family, in this instance, the Ekwam section, has followed all the laid down customs, tradition and performed same to actually put him on the Odikro Black Stool of Ekwamkrom.

Until that is done, he must enjoy his Dr title and disband his Ewuahaa something because that is not recognised.

By Ekow Arhinful Nyame
A proud native of Ekwamkrom