THE ATEBUBU Traditional Council in the Brong-Ahafo Region on behalf of the queen mother of the area, Nana Afia Donyina, yesterday rejected a compensation package presented by the president of the Brong-Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, Nana Yaw Kabrese.
Nana Kabrese, on behalf of the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Sanja Nanja, was giving the package to pacify the gods for raining insults on the queen mother sometime ago.
The MP had described the queen mother as a drunkard on a live radio interview, resulting in the traditional authorities spurning him.
Accompanied by the paramount chief of Basa Traditional Area, Osabarima Owusu Sakyi II, Nana Yaw Kabrese, who is also the Yeji Omanhene, was at the Atebubu Traditional Council on behalf of the embattled MP to inform Nananon about his (MP’s) readiness to pay GH¢10,000 in addition to some bottles of Schnapps and wine as a compensation package.
This offer did not go down well with the chiefs and so they rejected it.
Explaining why Nananom rejected the offer to DAILY GUIDE on telephone, the chief linguist of the traditional council said the MP could not use his own modality to determine how much or what items to present as a package to pacify the gods after insulting the queen mother and the gods.
He said when the MP was summoned at the Wench high court and cursed by the queen mother for his conduct, he, through the regional house of chiefs, pleaded for out-of-court settlement and was asked to pay GH¢35,000 for expenses made by Nananon and also to add some items, including rams as custom demands, to pacify the gods. This, the MP pleaded should be quantified in monetary terms.
This negotiation, according to the linguist, had been ongoing for some time now. “But the chiefs and people of Atebubu were surprised to hear from Nanja’s emissary that the MP had decided to pay GH¢10,000 and some drinks, all amounting to GH¢20,000, so Nananon had to reject the offer,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Nananom have vowed not to take anything from Sanja Nanja if he uses his own discretion.
He said the traditional rulers doubted that in his own conscience, the MP could approach any subject in the traditional area to convince the people to vote for him again.
The Nsumankwaahene of Atebubu, Nana Kofi Amoako, who spoke on behalf of the Traditional Council, categorically stated that the chiefs would block any attempt by Sanja Nanja to file his nomination form in the name of Atebubu, as the town has severed ties with him.
He added that the Council would however, welcome any other candidate presented by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to replace the embattled MP.
The chiefs warned Sanja Nanja not to campaign in any town or village which falls under the Traditional Council.
FROM Daniel Y. Dayee, Atebubu