'Advise your son' - Dormaahene tells Queen Mother of Manhyia over installation of Esumejahene

Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Dr Nana Agyemang Badu II, Dormaahene, has said, the Queen Mother of Manhyia should advise her son, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Ashantehene, following the installation of the Esumejahene - a sub-chief in the Ashanti Region under the jurisdiction of Dormaa.

According to him, Otumfuo installing a non-royal from Dormaa as Esumejahene is an illegality that does not conform with tradition.

“I am pleading with Mamponghene and especially the Queen Mother of Manhyia to advise his son because he has stepped beyond his territory and I won’t forgive if you step beyond your territory and enter into mine...," Nana Agyemang Badu II said in a viral video from his Palace.

In the video, a copy of which is available to GhanaWeb, the Dormaahene indicated further that Otumfuo was wrong with his recent installation of a chief of Esumeja because the Ashantehene has no authority and his jurisdiction does not extend to the people of Esumeja.

Giving a brief history of where the people of Dormaa settled and the stools that belong to them, Dormaahene said, “...we moved from Nsawam to Obo, from Obo to Esumeja, from Esumeja to Kwumawu [Adiebayi], from Adiebayi to Suntreso, from Suntreso to Banso, from Banso to Titinbepo, from Titinbepo to Domawidemu, from Domawidemu to Abesim, from Abesim to Gyaman and then to Cote d’Ivoire.

“Dormaahene came back from Cote d’Ivoire to Abesim because he left some of his people behind when the people settled at Abesim – meaning chewing of kola as I wait from my people..."

“...Nana, our people that we left at Esumeja; it seems to me that you feel there is no royal among them, therefore, you acted on your own volition and selected someone to the be chief of Esumeja. What is even appalling is that, when he was taking the oath of office, because he was not a royal from Dormaa, he could not mention any of his ancestors’ names and he claims to be Esumejahene?” Osagyefo Oseadeeyo Dr Nana Agyemang Badu II quizzed.

He added, “Nana, the people of Dormaa – being the eldest of the Aduana clan – we will not preside over such illegality; in fact, this cannot work. Someone will ask, Nana you are in Bono and they are in Asante, how can say that you won’t allow this to work?

“First of all, I want everyone to understand that I am the firstborn of the Aduana clan…and I am telling you that what you did at Esumeja is an illegality and not the tradition…Nana, imagine that Dompim stool is vacant and they need someone to become Dompimhene, do you think I have the right to select Dompimhene?

“…We had great chiefs like the chief of Mampong, Kumawu; why would they sit for Otumfuo to perpetuate such an illegality?...how does the Esumejahene that you enstooled know that he is a royal? Does he know how his forebears occupied that stool that he sits on today? Our people are still at Esumeja and the people of Dormaa still occupy the Esumeja stool; those in Dormaa will not even agree if we don’t claim the Esumeja stool.

“With all due respect to Otumfuo, what you did was wrong, you have no authority to install a chief at Esumeja…regarding what you did, we sit here at the Palace of Dormaa and send out this warning that we do not agree; in fact, we cancel what you did. This is wrong and cannot happen. I will not leave it here, but rather I will follow up, go to whatever length and make sure that we don’t lose our heritage, our history.

“Have you heard that the Obo stool has been taken from us? Have you heard where we stayed before settling at Dormaa, the stool has been taken from us? So, how come some chief somewhere will try and claim the stool that is rightfully ours?

He continued: “When you are installing your chiefs, I don’t come close but when the people of Dormaa are installing their chiefs, you are in a hurry to come close; with this, you did not act well. The one installed as Esumejahene should understand that, we don’t know him as a royal from Dormaa, so, he cannot hold himself as Esumejahene…else, we will take serious action against him. We don’t want anybody to suffer because of an act of illegality.

“…I am giving you a two-week ultimatum, if I don’t hear anything I will go to Esumeja myself, and meet with my people; if anybody thinks we don’t have royals, they are wrong. We still have royals at Esumeja, even if we don’t get a royal to occupy the Esumeja stool, I will send a royal from Aduana to occupy that stool…”

Dormaahene later called on Otumfuo to come and help the people of Dormaa in developing their community because every chief was enstooled to ensure that their community develops.
Source: Ghanaweb