The Dormaa chief, Oseadeayo Agyeman Badu II, has made statements about the Asantehene's authority and his capacity to elevate chiefs to the position of paramountcy. The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has responded.
The Asantehene once more narrated the account of how the Dormaa stool was elevated to the rank of a paramount chief by an Asantehene during an Asanteman Council meeting on Thursday [October 19, 2023] at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.
Otumfuo reiterated what he had previously said in accordance with history, particularly on how Asanteman was established in relation to the Golden Stool and the allegiance paid by all chiefs in the Asanteman Kingdom. He claimed that he was compelled to repeat the explanation because there had recently been an attempt to try and distort history.
Elevated Dormaa stool by Asantehene
The then-Asantehene, according to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, was the one who even raised the position of the Dormaa stool to that of a paramount chief.
Agyeman Badu I, an uncle of the current Dormaa chief [Agyeman Badu II], pledged the oath of allegiance to the Asantehene, he continued, even before Agyeman Badu [the first] was installed as Dormaa chief.
The current Dormaahene, Osagyefo Oseadeayo Agyeman Badu II, who is also a High Court judge, recently gave a video interview to Ghanaweb in which he raised concerns about how the Asantehene elevates chiefs to the status of paramountcy and asserted that there is "no King in Ghana" because the 1992 constitution does not mention or allow for that.
He claimed that while there are "no Kings" in Ghana because the constitution does not mention any Kingdom, there are Kings and heads of state in locations like Morocco and Saudi Arabia. As a result, he claimed, there is "no King" in those countries.
The Dormaahene argues that because Ghana was a state, there was no Asantehene-style kingdom within Ghana for him to be referred to as a king.
Osagyefo Oseadeayo Agyeman Badu II stated in that Ghanaweb interview that the mention and reference to the Asantehene in the Chieftaincy Act was improper and that he, along with others, will lead a campaign for the Asantehene's name to be removed from the Chieftaincy Act as part of a proposal to amend the Chieftaincy Act.
He claimed that if it wasn't done, the Chieftaincy Act would also need to mention other chiefs, such as the Ya Naa, Nayiri, and others.
The Dormaahene has previously brought up this topic in a number of public settings and in interviews with the media.
In places other than the Ashanti Region, such as the Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Western, and Oti regions, as well as other locations, he had questioned the scope of the Asantehene's sovereignty over some paramount chiefs whose jurisdiction lies inside the political and governmental designated borders.
The Bono Regional House of Chiefs, an assembly of paramount chiefs in the Bono Region, is currently presided over by the Dormaahene, Oseadeayo Agyeman Badu II.
The Asantehene should not be in charge and shouldn't promote some chiefs to the rank of paramount chiefs in order for them to join the Bono Regional House of Chiefs or the Bono East Regional House of Chiefs, according to the Dormaahene.
He contends that raising the headcount at the Regional House of Chiefs results in an increase in the amount of money spent by the government on the numerous regional houses of chiefs.
The government's spending will continue to rise, according to the Dormaahene, who spoke in the Ghanaweb interview that Graphic Online was watching. If every chief decides to raise others to the level of paramountcy like the Asantehene is attempting to accomplish.
