The principal members of the Agona royal family of Denkyira, Old Juabeng and New Juabeng in the Central Region have dragged Oscar Kesse aka Kwame Mensah to the Regional House of Chiefs over his nomination as the next person to occupy the vacant stool of the area.
According to the petition filed by Abusuapanyin Precious Kwame Mensah, Sampson Delali Mensah and Alice Afia Mensah, Oscar Kesse is not a member of the Agona royal family and is not by custom entitled to be nominated and enstooled as chief of Denkyira.
The petition also alleges that Oscar Kesse was nominated by the Queenmother of the area, Nana Ama Ayensua Sara III, in spite of the fact that he did not appear before a committee set up by her to vet prospective candidates who had presented their ‘Dwantoa’, ‘apologies’ to the Chief of Agona Port who chaired the committee.
It argues that principal kingmakers of the traditional area did not, and were not made to participate in the selection and election process of the purported nomination of Kwame Mensah.
The petition indicates that the paramount stool of Denkyira Traditional Area became vacant in 2015 when the occupant, Odeefuo Boa Amponsem III died.
It indicates that whenever the paramount stool of Denkyira becomes vacant, a candidate is selected and appointed as occupant of the paramount stool of Denkyira from the Agona royal family.
“That it is only the Agona royal family from which a person or candidate who is a true royal of the Agona clan from proper lineage is nominated, selected, enstooled and installed as paramount chief of Denkyira Traditional Area,” it added.
It avers that the present Queenmother of the area and Kwame Mensah, who are niece and nephew of the immediate past paramount chief of Denkyira, are not members of the Agona royal family of Denkyira.
It says the two are Fantis and they belong to the Asona family at Cape Coast or Asona clan at Cape Coast, which clan has the crow known in the local parlance as “Kwakwadabi” as the clan’s symbol.
That notwithstanding, it alleges that the Queenmother, without going through the appropriate channels, hurriedly announced Kwame Mensah as the next occupant of the stool.
“That the entire process of the purported nomination and confinement of 2nd respondent [Kwame Mensah] for enstoolment and installation as paramount chief of Denkyira Traditional Area is illegal, was done without due process and was not done in accordance with the custom, practice and tradition prevalent in the Denkyira Traditional Area relating to the enstoolment of a Denkyirahene,” the petition avers.
The petitioners are therefore, seeking a declaration that Nana Ama Ayensua Sara III, not being a member of the Agona royal family, is not eligible to acquire the status of Queenmother of Denkyira Traditional Area and for that reason her status as Queenmother is null and void.
They also want a declaration that Kwame Mensah, who is not a member of the Agona royal family of Denkyira, is not eligible to be nominated, proclaimed, confined, enstooled and installed as occupant of the paramount stool of Denkyira Traditional Area or as Paramount Chief of Denkyira Traditional Area.
They further want an order restraining Nana Ama Ayensua Sara III from holding herself out as Paramount Queenmother of Denkyira Traditional Area and from in anyway dealing with properties belonging to the paramount stool of Denkyira Traditional Area.
Again, they want an order restraining respondents from taking any further step or performing any further rituals and customs relating to the purported confinement of Kwame Mensah.
They also want an order restraining respondents from enstooling and installing Kwame Mensah as Paramount Chief of Denkyira Traditional Area.
A Daily Guide Report