Accord Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II respect and protocols as Chief of Kade – A-G Directs Kwaebibirem MCE

The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has directed the Municipal Chief Executive for Kwaebibirem, Seth Kwame Antwi Boasiako, to accord Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II the required respect and protocols as the Chief of the Kade Traditional Area in the Eastern Region.

In a letter dated May 17, 2024, and signed by Senior State Attorney Mrs. Gifty Kyei on behalf of the Attorney General, various court processes on chieftaincy issues in Kade were referenced, including a ruling by the Kumasi High Court.

In recognition of the court's ruling affirming Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II as the legitimate chief of Kade, the letter from the Attorney General's office directed the MCE to ensure that he accords the chief the respect and protocols deserving of his office.

"In view of the ruling of the High Court, I have been directed by the Honourable Attorney-General to advise you to adhere to the orders and declarations of the High Court, and accord Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II all the required respects and protocols as the Chief of Kade," the letter stated.

The directive from the Attorney General's office comes on the back of recent allegations made by Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II against Mr. Antwi Boasiako.

The Chief of Kade, in February this year, accused the MCE of preventing him from discharging his constitutional right and mandate.

According to the chief, he was, on the orders of the MCE, prevented from attending a national event at which he was scheduled to deliver an address on Monday, February 12, 2024, at the Assembly.

Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II, upon arriving at the venue for the swearing-in of newly elected assembly members, was reportedly prevented from accessing the venue by police officers at the event.

The incident is said to have resulted in near chaos as the youth of Kade sought to express their anger over the prevention of their chief from exercising his rights.

The confrontation between the youth and the police led to the deployment of additional security personnel from other districts to restore calm at the venue.

Reacting to the incident, Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II described the action of the MCE as unlawful and disrespectful to his position.

"As a law-abiding citizen, it took me over an hour to convince my elders and the teeming youth of Kade to avoid taking the law into their own hands by retaliating against the unlawful actions against me by the MCE and the police officials," he stated.

According to the chief, the MCE, since his appointment, has failed to recognize him as the legitimate chief of Kade, noting that such an attitude has the potential to affect the peace and development of the area.

In February, the Kade Magistrate Court dismissed an application by the Ghana Police Service seeking an order to compel Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II and four others to sign a bond pledging to keep peace in the town.

According to the police, they had received reliable information indicating that Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II's intention to attend several funerals within the area between February 2 to 4, 2024, had the potential to lead to chaos, breaching public order and peace.

However, the presiding Magistrate, George David K. Ofori, agreeing with the argument of the lawyer for Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II, ruled that the matter was before a High Court and that his court lacked jurisdiction to sit on the matter.

In reaction to the ruling, the lawyer for Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II, Nkrabeah Effah Dartey, emphasized that his client remains the legitimate chief of Kade. He cited a ruling by the Kumasi High Court to back his claim.

"The law is that, as of today, the Chief of Kade is called Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II. His name is in the register of chiefs, and the legal battle surrounding his status has been resolved to the extent that the matter is pending at the Supreme Court.

"So he is the chief; he lives in the palace at Kade and performs all his functions as a chief.

"Now there is somebody called Twum Debrah who is pretending that he is called Asare Twe, Kadehene. He managed to get his name in the register of chiefs, and he managed to be gazetted.

"The Kumasi High Court, presided over by Mrs. Justice Ofosu Marfo, has given a specific order of certiorari to quash the registration of Asare Twe and the gazetting. So it means, as far as the law is concerned, Osabarima Agyare Tenadu is the chief until the Supreme Court gives a ruling one way or the other," he stated.