Another chieftaincy ruckus.. PrincessTown in flames..SK Boafo asked to intervene

THE KINGMAKERS and people of Princes Town, in the Western Region, have drawn the attention of the Minister of Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Sampson Kwaku Boafo, to the looming bloodshed in the community, following a long-standing chieftaincy dispute.

The petitioners, including the Chief, Nana Kundumuah IV, sub-chiefs and other elders, have called for his intervention, to avert any imminent clash likely to disturb the tranquillity and peace of the area.

They referred to the provisions of section 52(1) of the Chieftaincy Act, which provides, in part, that “if it appears to the Minister for Chieftaincy Affairs, in the interest of Public order, he may by Executive Instrument prohibit any person who is not a chief, from purporting to exercise any of the functions of a chief.”

Referring to section 48 of Act 370, the petitioners said the office of a chief, is elective by a body of kingmakers, who are also responsible for destoolment of a chief, through judicial process.

They, as well, drew the attention of the Minister to section 51(1) of the Chieftaincy Act, which provides that “all enstoolments, destoolments, abdications and deaths of chiefs in any region, as well as all such other changes in the status of chiefs, shall as soon as practicable, after their occurrence, be reported in writing to the Minister for Chieftaincy Affairs by the Regional House of Chiefs, through the National House of Chiefs.”

According to them, until a chief dies, abdicates or is destooled by kingmakers, as provided by customary law, as stated in the Chieftaincy (Proceedings and Functions) -Traditional Councils Regulations, 1971(L.I. 798) and Chieftaincy (National and Regional Houses of Chiefs) Procedure Rules 1971 (C.I 27), there cannot be any installation of a new chief or rival chief in one particular town.

They indicated that the Princes Town dispute, had lingered on since 1982, and appealed to the Minister to use his good offices to resolve the 26-year-old impasse, without any further delay, to forestall a bloody clash.

Some of the signatories, numbering 20 in all, are Abusuapanin Augustine Yaw, Elder Paul Kwesi Yankey, Odikro Nana Adu Kpanyinli, George Mensah and Sarfohene F. K. Essuman.

The petitioners accused Nana Baidoo Bonsoe XV, Omanhene of the Ahanta Traditional Area, of encouraging a faction in the litigation, to fan the dispute, by allowing a second chief to swear the oath of allegiance to him, thus creating confusion in the town.

Last year, one faction was stopped from celebrating the Kundum festival, while the other faction was allowed to celebrate it.

The Ahanta West District Assembly reportedly ordered that the Kundum festival should not be held on October 28, and yet ASP Sam of the Kwesimintsim Police, permitted the Rev. Quarm faction to celebrate the Kundum festival on November 12.

The signatories to the petition have frowned on the bias of the District Police Commander, and accused him of being the cause of the loss of lives, and property, during the said celebration, which he permitted.
According to the petition of March 3, 2008, following the demise of the Chief of Princes Town, Nana Kundumuah III, on March 17, 1981, the Head of Family and kingmakers  enstooled Nana Kundumauh IV, alias Asilidjoe Enwi, who subsequently swore the oath of allegiance to the Omanhene of Ahanta.

Following that one Rev. S. E. A. Quarm, and his sister, allegedly objected to the installation before the Ahanta Traditional Council.
When they had failed in their bid to nullify Nana Kundumuah IV's enstoolment, the case traveled to the Western Regional House of Chiefs, where Nana Baidoe Bonsoe, as member of the House, allegedly joined the litigation, and influenced the overruling of his own verdict, at the Ahanta Traditional Council, and started the case all over again, by calling in witnesses.

Even though an appeal, against the ruling of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, was quashed by a motion for certiorari, Nana Baidoe Bonsoe, surprisingly, allowed Rev. Quarm to nominate and install one Kojo Kumah, as chief of the community, under the stool name of Nana Ndama Kundumuah V.

The said Nana Kundumuah V has since also sworn the oath of allegiance to Nana Baidoe Bonsoe, to whom Nana Kundumuah IV had also sworn the oath of allegiance, meaning Princes Town has two divisional chiefs, perceived as a recipe for trouble, by peace-loving residents.

According to the petitioners, history has it that the royal stool of Princes Town, belonged to the Dodobo family (the Abradze or Oyoko in Fante and Ashanti), and that the stool rotates among the three royal houses or lineage namely, Anukpole Manza, Yaaba Amanwa and Mozuma, each of which has a head (Abusuapanin), whose duty it is to nominate a person for the stool, when it becomes necessary.

They said in reference to the Princes Town Native Affairs, in relation to custom, the Queenmother's role of selecting a chief, does not apply in the community, hence the mandate for the head of family to nominate a chief.

It is against the stated events as has unfolded at Princes-Town, supported by documentary proof and history, that the chief, elders and people, would want the Minister of Chieftaincy to stamp his authority on the determination of the dispute, which has lingered on since 1982, to ensure that peace prevailed in the community.

“We shall be grateful, if you (Minister) take the necessary security measures, to avert any possible bloodshed at Princes Town, by directing the police to ensure peace and order in the town.”

The petition was also copied to the Minister of Local Government, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Interior Minister, Western Regional Minister, the Regional Police Commander, Member of Parliament for Ahanta West, and the District Chief Executive (DCE) and Nana Baidoe Bonsie.