Awukugua State declares independence from Akuapem Paramountcy, cites historical autonomy

Awukugua State has declared that it will no longer recognise the authority of the Akuapem Paramountcy, arguing that historical events and the origins of the Akuapem traditional arrangement do not justify the Akuapem Paramountcy’s continued rule over the Okere states.

In a statement on July 14, 2026, outlining its position, the state traced the origins of the Akuapem polity to a period when Awukugua sought military assistance from Akyem Abuakwa, the Ga, Krobo and European coastal forces to defeat the Akwamu people, who it said were attacking communities on the Akuapem Ridge.

According to the statement, while the allied forces joined the campaign against Akwamu, only the Akyem group remained after the war and eventually became the people of Akropong.

Awukugua argued that the Akropong people later established the Akuapem Paramountcy with the support of the colonial administration and subsequently exercised authority over the Okere and Larteh states.

“Despite all the resistance, the colonial government was backing the Akropong people so it became difficult to get rid of the Paramountcy being held by the Akropong people,” the statement said.

The state maintained that the Akropong people are settlers on lands belonging to the indigenous Okere and Larteh communities and therefore should not continue to exercise traditional authority over them.

“It is unthinkable that a settler should be the ruler of the natives forever. Awukugua has stopped it and reversed that abnormality,” the statement said.

Awukugua also called on other Okere states—including Dawu, Apirede, Abiri, Abonse, Adukrom and Aseseeso—to declare their independence, arguing that each is historically autonomous and not subordinate to another.

The statement further contended that although the Okere communities share a common language, they are independent traditional states with separate identities and governance structures.

The claims and historical interpretation presented by Awukugua State have not been independently verified, and there was no immediate response from the Akuapem Paramountcy.

— CitiNewsRoom