The Chiefs and people of Krachi Traditional Area have expressed worry over the conduct of the Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.
According to them, the Minister’s intention to inaugrate Nchumuru Traditional Council without consulting them is an insult to their chieftaincy.
Their call comes in the wake of a letter with reference no. MKRA/ 106/IMAH/TRAD/001 dates 9th January, 2020 signed by the Director of (F&A) for the Minister of Chieftain y and Religious Affairs addressed to the Registrar, Volta Regional House of Chiefs Ho, requesting the registrar to inform the Paramount Chief of Nchumuru Traditional Area, Nana Obrempong Kanya II of the inauguration of Nchumuru Traditional Council at Bejamse.
This act by the Minister has angered the Paramount Chief, elders and people of Krachi.
Addressing the media over the weekend, they indicated that, as a Minister, they expect him to know the rudiments of the ministry he superintends.
Explaining that, the elevation of a Divisional Chief to the status of a Paramount Chief is clearly stated without any ambiguity in both the 1992 constitution and the Chieftaincy Act.
“It is not an act of government or a minister, it is clearly by custom and usage”, they emphasized.
Per the 1992 constitution, Article 275 defines a Paramount Chief as “a person who has been nominated, elected and installed as a paramount chief in accordance with customary law and usage, hence a person becomes a Paramount Chief by customary law and usage and not by statute or recognition by the government of the day.
Inaddition, as per custom practice of Chieftaincy institution, the elevation of a Paramount chief emanates from existing Traditional Council to the Regional House of Chiefs and then to the National House of Chiefs.
At every stage, the Research Committee examines the application and offers advice, this according to the Chief and people of Krachi is the practice and is highly in sink and in consonance with Article 295 of the 1992 Constitution sited supra.
The Area known as Krachi covers Krachi West, Krachi East and Krachi Nchumuru Administrative Districts. Traditionally, this area use to have one Traditional Council, which is the Krachi Traditional Council, with the Krachiwura as the President of the Council until recently when some Chiefs were elevated to the status of Paramount Chiefs by the Krachiwura, therefore all other Chiefs are Divisional and Sub- Divisional Chiefs.
They therefore used the ocassion to ask the Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs to answer these questions: Is Nana Obrempong Kanya II a Divisional Chief or a Paramount Chief?
2.If a Paramount chief, when and how was he elevated to the status of a Paramount chief?
3. If he is not , then does he as a Divisional Chief qualify to have a Traditional Council?
“Per checks we have conducted at the Registry of the National House of Chief and same reveled that as at 13th January 2020, Nana Obrempong Kanya II was a Divisional Chief then how then on earth can a whole Chieftaincy Minister refer to him as a Paramount Chief ?.This certainly cannot be a malapropism on the part of the Minister, but it is a deliberate act willfully calculated to twist, thwart and distort facts in pursuance of a hidden agenda”, they lamented.
Stressing that, not too long ago, the Krachiwura, who is the President of the Krachi Traditional Council, elevated the Chief of Asukawkaw to the status of a Paramount chief after passing through due process therefore the Krachi Traditional Council is a nonnegotiable stakeholder in the calving of new councils from it.
Noting that, at no point in time in the records of the Council has the status of Nana Obrempong Kanya II been elevated or recommended for elevation from Bejamsehene to a Paramount chief.
Accounting that, Nana Obrempong Kanya II is a Divisional chief and not a Paramount chief therefore, being a Divisional chief, he cannot head a Traditional Council.
“Thus the actions of the Minister is illegal and not backed by any law.
Hence called on the Minister to follow the procedure for elevating a chief to Paramountcy in order to clearly define the jurisdiction of the chief.
“In elevating an area to a Traditional Council status, due process is followed to ensure that there is no conflict in determining which chief fall under the traditional council and what is the extend of dominion of the said new council.This was however not done in the instant case”, they alleged.
Meanwhile to ensure the Minister actions do not take place, Krachiwura has caused a writ to be issued at the used at the high court in Accra and has also filed an application for injunction to restrain the Minister for Chieftaincy from going ahead with his intention of resting an Nchumuru Traditional Council.
Adding, the Attorney General and the Chieftaincy Minister have been served with the said processes but unfortunately, the process server was prevented from serving process on Nana OBREMPONG Kanya II at his palace at Bejamse on Friday 17th January 2020.
Source: www.thenewindependentonline com/Ishmael Barfi/senghana@gmail.com
