Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah, the morning show host at Angel FM, has honored the invitation from the Nungua Traditional Council.
He was summoned to address allegations of making disparaging comments against the Gborbu Wulomo-Shitse, the Overlord of the Gadangme State, and King Odaifio Welentsi III, the Paramount Chief of the Nungua Traditional Area.
Appearing before the council on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, Afrifa-Mensah pleaded for pardon. He attributed his indiscretion to being misinformed and having little knowledge about the status of the Gborbu Wulomo at the time of his comments.
“I was against the attempt to explain because no amount of explanation will be enough to calm you down. Because as you’ve stated, my utterances were unsavoury. But I will first plead because there is a saying that it is only the foreigner that eats a blind fowl, I had no idea that when we say Gborbu-Wulomo, he is the overlord of the people. In my thoughts, he was some Kwaku Bonsam, a popular fetish priest kind of. And anyone who has followed me knows I am a human rights activist from my association with the Fix The Country demonstration. However, as a sitting chief myself, even if I have that casual relationship with my boss Kwadwo Dickson and he is later enstooled, it is no more about himself but rather the people he serves,” he addressed the council in a video.
The Ga Traditional Council had previously summoned Afrifa-Mensah to appear before them regarding his comments.
In a public statement, Afrifa-Mensah expressed remorse for his previous comments, explaining that he was unaware of Gborbu-Wulomo’s status as the head of the Gadangme tribe when he made his remarks about an alleged marriage to a 12-year-old.
“If I claim to be a fighter for human rights and one day I wake up to the news that an MC officiating a programme says even my lord, Osei Tutu (Asantehene) is marrying a 12-year-old child, I would be so angry and I would say it the way I said it. However, at the time I was speaking on the matter, my understanding of Gborbu-Wulomo was that he was someone like Kwaku Bomsam [a fetish priest] because sitting here I didn’t know the Wulomo was the head of the Gadangme tribe. I thought it was the Mantse who was the head,” Afrifa-Mensah explained.
He continued, “So my understanding of who Gborbu-Wulomo was at the time of making those pronouncements was not that he was the overlord of the Gadangme Traditional Council…. So every Gadangme who is angered has a right to be angry.”
Acknowledging his misunderstanding, Afrifa-Mensah extended his apology to the Gadangme community and Gborbu-Wulomo, emphasizing his respect for tradition and customs.