The title ‘Okyehene’ does not exist in the books of Ghana’s Chieftaincy Ministry, Dr Nana Agyenim Boateng, President of the Concerned Youth of Ashanti (CYA), has said.
According to him, while the Asante King rules over a Kingdom, the Chieftaincy Ministry only recognises the title, Akyem Abuakwamanhene, for the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area.
Dr Agyenim Boateng told Moro Awudu on the Executive Breakfast Show (EBS) on Class91.3FM on Friday, 4 May 2018 that: “They always want to compare the paramount chief of Akyem Abuakwa to the Asante Kingdom, which is impossible. When you go into chieftaincy – I’ve worked with the Chieftaincy Ministry before – we don’t even have anything called ‘Okyehene’ but we have Akyem Abuakwamanhene.”
He explained that the Akyems have three clans. “We have Akyem Kotoku which is a paramount, we have Akyem Abuakwa, it is a paramount; and Akyem Bosome and they are all paramountcies”, but, he added: “The Asante King [rules over] a kingdom.”
His comments were a reply to Mr Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, nephew to President Nana Akufo-Addo, who said he is not stupid enough to undermine Asante monarch Otumfuo Osei Tutu II as being alleged by the revered traditional leader.
At the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi recently, the furious Asante monarch is said to have specifically named Mr Otchere-Darko and the president’s Executive Secretary, Nana Asante Bediatuo, as plotting to undermine him.
Ashanti Regional Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party, Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi) and other leading figures of the NPP, including Acting General Secretary John Boadu; Ashanti Regional Minister Simon Osei-Mensah, as well as the Regional Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation, Kwabena Senkyire, went to the Manyhia Palace on Wednesday, 2 May 2018 for a different purpose but got confronted by the enraged monarch who revealed to them that certain people close to the seat of government were making disparaging comments about him and also pitching him against the people of Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area – native town of President Nana Akufo-Addo, Mr Otchere-Darko and Nana Asante Bediatuo.
This prompted an instant groveling apology by the four leading figures of the NPP, who fell on their knees before the traditional leader.
Responding to the allegation against him, Mr Otchere-Darko wrote on his Facebook page: “Am I so stupid that I would work against my own interest and turn one-half of me against the other half by inciting my mother’s people against my father’s people; that I would bite the very hand that feeds us politically? Perplexing”.
But Dr Agyenim Boateng believes Mr Otchere-Darko’s response was disrespectful.
“How can you respond in such a way to His Majesty? Let’s be sincere; courtesy demands, if such a great king has spoken and mentioned your name, is this the way to respond to him, that you are not stupid? I mean we must look further,” he stated.
He continued: “Gabby must come down; such arrogance cannot take him anywhere. This is not the way to respond when a father speaks to you. Asante Bediatuo has kept quiet but Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko is becoming unbecoming.”