The President of the National House of Chiefs, the Agbogbomefia of the Ho Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV, has on behalf of all the chiefs  who engaged in partisan politics in the last election apologised to Ghanaians.

He said even though the code of ethics of chiefs and the 1992 Constitution precluded chiefs from taking active part in partisan politics, some chiefs in the country could not uphold that standard during the 2016 electioneering.

On behalf of those erring chiefs, the president apologised to Ghanaians and prayed that the practice be consigned to the dustbin of history “so that together, we can forge ahead as one people with a common destiny.”

First quarter meeting

Togbe Afede, who was addressing members of the House at its first quarterly meeting of the year, stressed the need for members to uphold the royal code of ethics which enjoined them to refrain from active partisan politics.

He said there was the need to enforce the code as part of the image-building process that would ensure that chiefs regained their rightful position in society.

He said chiefs wielded lots of influence which they were barely using for the benefit of the chieftaincy institution.

According to Togbe Afede, chiefs were everywhere in this country even at the remotest areas where the government had no representative, and as such they could use that influence to rally the people and play relevant roles in the governance and development of the country, adding, “That is why our role is very critical … that is why our influence is very important.”

He said one of the objectives of his administration would be to restore the nobility and reverence of the chieftaincy institution to enable it to effectively play its roles in society as expected.

Charge

Togbe Afede charged members of the house to identify people within their communities who would help them mobilise resources to undertake projects within their jurisdiction.

He said, “Every Member of Parliament, every minister and CEO belongs to a traditional area and this gives us so much strength. We remind all that we all have a role to play in utilising this strength in mobilising the resources that are needed for the execution of our agenda.”

Fortunately, he said, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had expressed his desire and commitment to work with chiefs in the development of the country.

Commendation

He commended the political parties, the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders in the country for a successful election and a smooth transition of power in the country.

“The media played a tremendous role and must be commended,” he added.

Source: graphic.com