The Bono Regional House of Chiefs on Monday admitted three Paramount Chiefs into the House with a call on kingmakers and queen-mothers to pick qualified candidates as chiefs.
They are Odomfour Kwasi Apraku III, Nana Debrah Agyei, and Odeneho Afram Brempong II, the traditional chiefs of Odomase Number One, Seikwa, and Suma-Ahenkro, who live in the Sunyani West Municipality, Tain, and Jaman North Districts, respectively.
Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Agyemang Badu II, the President of the House made the call when he addressed the House’s end of year general meeting in Sunyani and assured that the Judicial Committee of the House was working hard to resolve all the pending chieftaincy disputes in the region by 2023.
Osagyefo Agyemang Badu II, also the Paramount Chief of the Dormaa Traditional l Area stated it was the prerogative of queen-mothers to pick and enstool rightful candidates whenever a stool became vacant.
He said though kingmakers played instrumental roles in the selection and enstoolment processes of chiefs, the House had resolved that only rightful candidates selected by queen-mothers would be considered and enstooled.
Osagyefo Agyemang Badu II, on the other hand, warned queen-mothers and kingmakers against acts of corruption in chieftaincy enstoolment, which he said remained a major factor contributing to chieftaincy disputes, threatening the region’s peace and slowing progress.
He said as tradition demanded, a rightful candidate could only be disqualified as a chief if he was either disabled, promiscuous or an ex-convict for a crime, saying apart from those reasons and other crimes no queen-mother or kingmaker had the right to disqualify any candidate.
Osagyefo Agyemang Badu II also advised queen-mothers and kingmakers to conduct thorough background checks on candidates to ensure that if they were appointed, they would not bring the noble chieftaincy institution into public ridicule and disrepute.
He said protracted chieftaincy disputes remained the bane of socioeconomic development of the region and advised traditional authorities to bury their differences, forge ahead in unity and collectively push the holistic development of the region.
Osagyefo Agyemang Badu II commended the government for the on-going construction works on the Sunyani-Inner City roads project being implemented by the Chinese Construction Company, Sino Hydro Corporation, which he said had beautified parts of the Sunyani Municipality.
He, however, expressed concern about deplorable condition of the other aspects of Sunyani town roads and appealed to the government to reshape them alongside with the ongoing road project being implemented by the Sino Hydro Corporation.
Justice Patrick Bayeh, the Supervising High Court Judge in Sunyani later took the newly admitted Paramount Chiefs through the three oaths of secrecy, allegiance, and membership.
Justice Bayeh expressed concern about rising cases of land litigation in the region and urged the House to work hard to resolve them amicably in order to strengthen the region’s prevailing peace.
