Volta Region House of Chiefs dismisses allegations of collusion, corruption in Agave Chieftaincy matters

The leadership of the Volta Region House of Chiefs has strongly rejected what it describes as malicious, baseless and ill motivated publications circulating on soireenews.com and other media platforms, accusing the House of collusion, corruption and the illegal gazetting of chiefs in the Agave Traditional Area of the Ketu South District.

In a detailed press release signed by the President of the House, Togbe Tepre Hodo IV, and the Vice President, Togbega Patalia Dzekley VII, the leadership said it was compelled to respond not because the allegations deserved attention, but to set the record straight for discerning members of the public.

The House said the publications, authored by unnamed individuals, are filled with what it described as scurrilous calumnies aimed at dragging the integrity of the House into disrepute through false narratives surrounding chieftaincy administration in Agave.

One of the allegations claimed that the President of the Volta Region House of Chiefs colluded with the Woyome brothers to facilitate the gazetting of Togbega Xedihor Hlitabo IV as a chief. The House categorically denied the allegation, describing it as totally false, baseless and rooted in a clear misunderstanding of established chieftaincy procedures in Ghana.

The leadership explained that the registration of a chief on the National Register of Chiefs follows a clearly defined process. Chieftaincy Declaration Forms must first be approved by the relevant Traditional Council before being forwarded to the Regional House of Chiefs. Where no Traditional Council exists, the Regional House is mandated to process the forms and transmit them to the National House of Chiefs.

In the case of Agave, the House clarified that at the time the Chieftaincy Declaration Forms of Togbega Xedihor Hlitabo IV were submitted, there was no Agave Traditional Council in existence. Consequently, the Volta Region House of Chiefs processed the forms in accordance with established procedure.

The House further explained that the processing was carried out pursuant to a directive from the National House of Chiefs, which instructed all Regional Houses to process declaration forms even where cases were pending against chiefs. This directive followed the removal of questions 11 and 12 from the declaration forms, which previously required disclosure of pending litigation relating to a chief’s installation.

Those questions had asked whether any case was pending against the installation of a chief and, if so, the details of the suit. With their removal, the National House of Chiefs directed that pending cases should no longer prevent the processing of declaration forms.

Based on this directive, the Volta Region House of Chiefs said it processed the declaration forms of Togbega Xedihor Hlitabo IV despite a case involving him being pending before the House. The leadership stressed that the action was neither selective nor exceptional.

To support this position, the House cited several instances where declaration forms of other chiefs were processed and gazetted under the same directive despite pending cases. These included Togbe Adamah III of the Somey Traditional Area, Togbega Sei II of the Botoku Traditional Area, Togbe Dagadu IX of the Akpini Traditional Area and Togbe Akpo Ashiakpor VI of the Weta Traditional Area, among others.

The House maintained that there was therefore nothing unusual about the processing of the Agave declaration forms that could justify claims of collusion or undue influence. It stressed that without the directive from the National House of Chiefs, the forms of Togbega Xedihor Hlitabo IV could not have been processed at all.

The second publication accused the Research Department of the Volta Region House of Chiefs of corruption and of illegally gazetting 24 chiefs from the Agave Traditional Area. The leadership dismissed the allegation as reckless and unsupported by evidence, noting that the publication failed to name or identify the alleged 24 individuals.

According to records from the Research Department, declaration forms from Agave were approved on several occasions over the years. On 7th October 2021, three divisional chiefs and queen mothers were approved. On 25th February 2022, the forms of one chief and one queen mother were approved. On 13th July 2022, three more chiefs received approval. On 17th December 2023, seven chiefs, including Togbega Xedihor Hlitabo IV, had their forms approved. On 19th April 2024, three additional chiefs were approved.

The House said this brought the total number of approved declaration forms from Agave to 16, not 24 as alleged. It questioned how declaration forms that had been approved over time without objection could suddenly be described as illegal, noting that the publication failed to demonstrate how the approvals breached any law or procedure.

The House also pointed out contradictions in the publication, noting that it listed the declaration forms of Togbega Xedihor Hlitabo IV among those allegedly approved illegally, even though he is the same person said to be facing challenges from some of the gazetted chiefs.

Addressing claims that the gazetted chiefs now constitute a majority in the Agave Traditional Council and are undermining the authority of Togbega Xedihor Hlitabo IV, the House said the publication failed to present the full picture.

According to the House, the core problem in Agave is a deep division among chiefs. A minority owe allegiance to Togbega Xedihor Hlitabo IV, while a majority support a rival paramount chief. This division has created a stalemate within the Traditional Council, preventing it from achieving the quorum required to hold meetings and discharge its functions.

The House stressed that these internal divisions are matters within the Agave Traditional Area and beyond the control of the Volta Region House of Chiefs, adding that responsibility for resolving the impasse rests with the chiefs themselves.

“It is therefore palpably wrong,” the leadership stated, “for anyone to attribute these shortcomings in the chieftaincy affairs of Agave to any conduct on the part of the Volta Region House of Chiefs.”

The House also revealed an incident involving the Vice President, Togbega Patalia Dzekley VII, who has been accused of corruption in the publications. According to the statement, on 18th December 2025, while travelling to Kumasi, the Vice President received a call from Togbega Xedihor Hlitabo IV, who allegedly requested assistance to cut corners in processing declaration forms for certain chiefs he considered his supporters.

The Vice President, the House said, rejected the request and insisted that no declaration forms could be processed without the approval of a properly constituted meeting of the Agave Traditional Council, describing this requirement as fundamental.

The leadership said this incident exposes the bad faith behind the publications, noting the irony of corruption allegations being levelled against an official who refused to engage in improper conduct.

The House concluded that the publications by what it described as faceless bloggers were driven by malice and an agenda to tarnish its reputation. It also dismissed claims that attempts were made to seek responses from the leadership before publication, insisting that no genuine effort was made to obtain clarification.

The Volta Region House of Chiefs has therefore appealed to the public to disregard what it described as scandalous and malicious publications, while reaffirming its commitment to transparency, due process and the integrity of chieftaincy administration in the region.