The Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II, has asserted that the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu, does not wield the power to appoint a paramount chief in Fiapre, a town in the Sunyani West Municipality of the Bono Region of Ghana.
Addressing his community over the weekend, Nana Agyeman Badu II emphasized that while the Asantehene is acknowledged as a paramount chief under Ghana’s constitution, he does not have the right to appoint another paramount chief in a territory outside his domain.
The Dormaahene condemned Otumfuo Osei Tutu’s actions, arguing that they show a lack of respect for the customs of the people of Fiapre and should not be tolerated.
He explained that the Fiaprehene owes allegiance to the paramount chief of Odumase, who has authority over Fiapre.
Nana Agyeman Badu II pledged to resist any efforts by Otumfuo to install a chief in Fiapre, even if it means risking his life.
He urged Otumfuo Osei Tutu to reconsider his actions, warning that they are causing divisions among the chiefs in the Bono Region and could lead to further conflicts
“The final authority in the chieftaincy rank is the paramount chief. There is no authority beyond the paramount chief. Otumfuo is a paramount chief, so he cannot lord over another paramount chief.”
“So, I want to plead with the Fiaprehene that Otumfuo cannot make him a paramount chief. As long as I remain president of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs, Otumfuo cannot install a paramount chief. It is not possible. Even if the court says otherwise, I will not obey and I’m willing to go to jail for that.”
“The Fiaprehene is on Bono land, so he should come to us so that we seek forgiveness from the ancestors for him. Fiapre is not under the authority of Otumfuo. It is not Otumfuo’s blood. What I know is that he is from Denkyira and ended up at Kumasi Number 1 due to wars. I cannot make him a paramount chief.”
“The only person who can do that is the paramount chief of Dumase Number One. There are people staying elsewhere and causing trouble in Dormaa land. I have never disrespected Otumfuo, but he shouldn’t fight for what does not belong to him,” he said.
Nana Agyeman Badu’s assertion supports the stance of the Odumase No.1 Traditional Council that the Fiaprehene, Obrempong Professor Kyem Amponsah II, cannot be made a paramount chief by the Asantehene.
At a press conference held on Friday, June 28, 2024, the Kontirehene of Odumase No. 1, Nana Godlove Kwaku Boateng, stated that Odumase was never conquered by the Ashanti Kingdom, and therefore, the Asantehene has no authority to install a paramount chief on their land.
He strongly warned Fiaprehene Kyem Amponsah II against aligning with the Asanteman Council and added that the chief is free to leave their territory if he chooses.
“He can leave for any town he wishes. He can serve anybody he wants. But he cannot take our property because he came to meet our land, which belongs to our ancestors. He should leave our land because it is for the children of Fiapre.”
“I spoke to our family head and he agreed with me that the Asantehene cannot leave Asante and install a paramount chief in Fiapre because when he (the Fiaprehene) needed land to settle on, it was his (the family head’s) father who gave him the land. And so no one can live on his father’s land and serve another person,” he said in Twi.
He added, “You (Fiaprehene) are saying you are your own man and you can do what you want. But our land does not belong to the Asantehene. Odumase is not one of the lands conquered by the Asante.”