Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has officially removed Nana Adutwumwaa Bonin II from her position as the Queen of the Denyase Traditional Council in the Ashanti Region.
This decision was made during an Asanteman Council meeting on October 14, 2024. The destoolment followed accusations that Nana Adutwumwaa Bonin II had violated the sacred great oath of the Ashanti kingdom, a serious offence marked by an act of treacherous invocation.
Although the Queen pleaded for leniency during the hearing, her appeal was met with strong opposition from the majority of the council members, leading to her destoolment.
“Nana, we cannot forgive her because the great oath must be paramount in all our dealings, so violating the terms of the oath is unacceptable,” one of the chiefs said.
Goasomanhene added, “My biggest fear here is the oath that is involved, so pleading on her behalf will be difficult because the sacred oath is involved.”
“Otumfuo linguist, all the chiefs have said that they cannot work with her, so she must go,” another affirmed.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II emphasised the sanctity of the great oath and the imperative to uphold Asante customs without exception.
“In safeguarding the Golden Stool and the great oath entrusted to me, I must ensure fidelity to our traditions,” he said.
“As the elders have said that we don’t invoke the great oath in vain, when I became the Asantehene I was told I did not have a mother, a brother, or anybody, and the only thing I have is the Golden Stool and the Great Oath to protect.”
“I really like the queen…I call her my old lady, but going against the great oath, I have to go by what the tradition says. If I forgive her, then who should I punish if the person does the same? We have to tell the truth to people. She is at fault; she is a family member. If she doesn’t have the money, she can come, and I will give her money, but to violate the great oath, no, she can’t sit on the throne anymore.”
The controversy surrounding Nana Adutwumwaa Bonin II’s royal lineage came to a head after a committee was set up to investigate her royalty status after she was challenged by Achiasebaapanin Nana Akua Afriyie, who invoked the Great Oath in support of her stance.
Nana Akua Afriyie’s claim that Nana Adutwumwaa Bonin II was not a rightful royal was met with a direct counter by the Denyasehemaa, invoking the Great Oath to challenge the accusation.
Nana Afriyie, on her part, denied having any familial ties to the Denyasehemaa, while Nana Adutwumwaa Bonin II asserted the opposite.
As a result, both parties were tasked with providing their traditional family lineages for review by the committee. Upon investigation, the committee determined that Nana Adutwumwaa Bonin II was indeed not a royal and had no direct relation to Achiase, contradicting her earlier claims.
After the committee’s findings were submitted to Otumfuo, he remarked that the Denyasehemaa could have avoided her predicament if she had refrained from invoking the counter-oath in the first place.
“Denyasehemaa could have used peace to her advantage, but she chose quite the opposite. And since the investigation has brought this to light, I have no choice but to put the stool where it truly belongs.”
Denyasehemaa was therefore fined four rams for the counter-invocation of the Great Oath in vain during the committee’s sitting.