Confusion Rocks Chiefs’ Elections

Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi and Nana Kwesi Agyemang

DAILY GUIDE has gathered that two separate injunctions have been placed on the elections of the president and the vice president of the Western Regional House of Chiefs as well as representatives of the House to the National House of Chiefs.

The injunction application was filed by some aggrieved factions in the Regional House.

The presidency of the House is being contested between the acting president, Nana Kwesi Agyemang IX, who is also the paramount chief of Lower Discove and Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, paramount chief of Sefwi Anhwiaso.

The paramount chiefs of Eastern Nzema, Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli III and Sefwi Chirano, Okogyeman Kwaku Gyamprah III, are also running for the vice president position.

Nine others are also contesting to be elected as representatives to the National House of Chiefs.

Confusion reportedly erupted at the Regional House sometime last week as it failed to carry out its elections to elect a president, vice president and the representatives.

The elections were canceled following concerns raised by some elders and chiefs in the traditional areas of some of the chiefs who are vying for the afore-mentioned positions.

Even though it was not initially clear what might have prompted the concerns resulting in the cancellation of the elections, it was later gathered that it had to do with the legitimacy of some of the chiefs in the House.

According to sources, some chiefs in the Nzema area placed the injunction on the elections, claiming that the name Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli, which currently happens to be the stool name of the paramount chief of Eastern Nzema, had been fraudulently used.

In that same injunction, the plaintiffs were seeking to prevent the president of the House from presiding over any meeting or election that would seek to elect Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli to any position of the House.

There was another injunction from one Ebusuapanyin Egya Ackah, seeking to prevent the paramount chief of Bamiakor from contesting in any of the elections.

Consequently, officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) led by the Western Regional (EC) Director, Stephen Opoku-Mensah, had to leave the premises of the Regional House of Chiefs without conducting the elections.

From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi