Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu
“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake”- Napoleon Bonaparte
Today, I am going to dilute my Lion ink before drawing some into my Fountain pen because I am going to write about a man I used to respect, admire and love so much.
There are three things that can destroy the dignity and good image of a traditional ruler. They are politics, lust for power and pomposity. There are also three things that can bring into question the integrity of a judge. They are irrational comments in the public space, active politics and the underrating of the intelligence of the common citizen.
I dare say that the Dormaahene, Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu falls within the range of all the six examples. He has been given a long rope and today, he is using the same rope to hang himself. That is the way the Lord God of Host does His things.
Immediately Nana Addo held the reins of power, this man, who is a lawyer, a judge and an Omanhene went on the warpath against the new regime.
When former President Mahama visited his palace, he bodily told him that from that day onwards, he was going to be a serial caller for John Mahama. Since that unfortunate comment, he has never looked back. Even though the government of Nana Addo has given Dormaa Ahenkro and the Dormaa people for that matter, their fair share of the national cake, the man has seen nothing good about this regime because he continues to wear his political wooden glasses and exposes himself as a staunch supporter of the NDC. Sad!
When this erratic and irrational chief loaded his double barrel gun and fired from all cylinders at the Otumfuor, the Asantehene and the Manhyia palace, I kept silent. After all, if you don’t want monkey tail to touch you, you don’t go to monkey dance because monkeys have long tails. It was their fight.
It was the fight between traditional rulers who knew their respective histories and interpreted them as they wanted. I am not a historian so I don’t look back as historians do. For now, the Dormaahene has been effectively silenced by the Otumfuor and his supporters who took Agyemang Badu to the cleaners. He seemed to have bitten more than what he could chew when he attacked the Otumfuor. Man pass man.
Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu calls himself a ‘controversial person’ but the pronouncement he made at Sunyani during the celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the death of the man of peace, the late Professor Mills is more than controversy.
The NDC, a political party organized the 10th Anniversary celebration and invited the self-confessed controversial Dormaahene to the occasion. When he had the opportunity to address the gathering he went off the road and caused a huge mess which has led to those who would not dare look into his face to insult him badly on social media. He had a fine opportunity to speak about the virtues of the late former President of Ghana, like his humility and love for peaceful co-existence and his strong shock absorber to withstand insults, for the younger generation to learn a lesson from but sadly, Nana veered from that noble path and messed around when he contracted verbal diarrhea.
I looked at his face when he was making the statement and asked myself: What has gone into the head of this hitherto, fine gentleman? No wonder philologists tell us the human mind is dynamic.
In my opinion what he said would not have been anything serious in the normal circumstances. He was making a plea to the President and the Attorney General but his pleading was tainted with political colour, considering the fact that he was addressing NDC supporters.
As a lawyer and a judge of the High Court of Ghana, he did not think twice before speaking. That is not to say he did not think at all. If I, Angel Gabriel had made such suggestion in this column, it will not have been a big deal because I am not a lawyer, judge or a traditional ruler.
Justice Osedeeyo is alleged to have jailed a certain boy for five years for stealing a bunch of plantain from somebody’s farm and a mobile phone thief for seven years in his court.
In fact, he has jailed so many people when he could have tampered mercy with justice. No one pleaded for such persons. Is it the case of the law of the sea where the bigger fishes swallow the smaller ones? Are we all not equal before the law? May be Dormaahene wants to shift the goalpost and tell Ghanaians that before the law, some are more equal than others.
Adamu Sakande was an elected Member of Parliament for Bawku Central. Less than two years in parliament, he was taken to court for perjury, deceit of public officer, forgery of passport and knowingly making false statutory declaration.
That was when Mr. John Mahama and the NDC were in power and the Dormaahene was a judge as he is now.
In fact, the NPP was in opposition and much as the lawyers of Adamu Sakande tried to defend him, it did not work. The law was allowed to work. To jail, Adamu went and he died later.
Three of the charges which sent Adamu Sakande to prison for ten years are included in the charges labeled against Mr. Gyekye Quayson. Nana Dormaahene did not plead to Mr. Mahama and the then Attorney General to drop the case when Adamu Sakande was being tried at the court of competent jurisdiction.
Is that because Adamu Sakande is a Northerner? Think, Nana. What is most absurd and heart-raking in Dormaahene’s pleading was that the people of Assin North will be deprived of development if Gyekye Quayson is jailed. How did Dormaahene know that the man will go to jail? Aaah, so? Is Nana telling us that the people of Bawku Central were deprived of development when Adamu Sakande was jailed?. Nana, go and come again because your pleading has made matters worse for Mr. Quayson. As a lawyer and a judge what you said stands to reason that you know if the case goes to full length, Gyekye Quayson will go to jail.
If Nana Dormaahene, a lawyer and judge, who undoubtedly has read the charges of Mr. Quayson and studied documents pertaining to the trial had accepted the fact that Mr. Quayson erred in law and pleaded to the President to tamper mercy with justice that would have been reasonable.
The Dormaahene also said if he had been part of the panel of judges at the Supreme Court who decided that Mr. Quayson should be stripped of his parliamentary seat, he will have voted against the decision. A High Court Judge indeed!
That is to say the Supreme Court judges, his seniors erred in law and that too is an indictment to the honorable judges of the Supreme Court, the apex court of Ghana. No wonder the rumour mill is grinding louder that the NDC has promised to elevate the Dormaahene, a High Court Judge to the Supreme Court if they come to power one day. Day dreamers!
Here in my holy village if a person starts to behave weirdly, he is taken to an exorcist. The exorcist will mix a concoction for him to drink for seven days and give him some herbs to add to water and bath for another seven days in order to release whatever evil spirit he is being possessed.
We don’t have mad men or women in our village because of the powers of our exorcists. My people are all sane and responsible. You are cordially invited to my holy village, Nana Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II, judge of the High Court, Aspiring Judge of the Supreme Court of Ghana, Lawyer Par Excellence, NDC Serial Caller, President of the Bono Regional House of Chiefs, Modern day Don Quixote, Aduana Piesie and Omanhene of Dormaa Traditional Area. Manim!!! Full stop.
By Eric Bawah