Ex-Wenchihene wants to regain status

Almost 30 years after he was destooled by the late General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong's regime, Nana Kusi Appea has launched a legal challenge to regain his status as the paramount chief of Wenchi.

Nana Appea has filed a petition at the Judicial Committee of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs to that effect.

The petition, filed on August 20, is asking the Committee for a perpetual injunction to restrain the present occupant of the stool, Nana Mbore Bediatuo, from styling himself as Omanhene.

Adducing grounds for his petition, Nana Appea, believed to be in his 80s, said he was first enstooled as Omanhene of Wenchi in 1949 and duly swore the oath of allegiance and loyalty to the people and elders of Wenchi as required by custom and tradition.

He said in the 1960s, the CPP government undertook a mass dismissal of chiefs who were perceived to be anti-CPP and he was affected.

However, after the overthrow of the CPP government, the National Liberation

Council (NLC) re-instated him upon the passage of NLC Decree 112, which reversed the unjustified and uncustomary destoolments.

Nana Appea said after the overthrow of the second republic, Gen Acheampong, for no apparent reason, withdrew his recognition.

"It is as a result of these politically motivated destoolments that Nana Mbore Bediatuo managed to declare himself as Wenchihene without swearing the oath of allegiance with the traditional sword to the people and elders of Wenchi as demanded by custom".

Nana Appea further argued that with the coming into force of the 1992 constitution, "all previous decrees including those that withdrew his recognition as Wenchi Omanhene have been rendered null and void as if they were never passed or existed".

He said Nana Bediatuo was never nominated, selected and enstooled in accordance with custom hence the need for the Judicial Committee to declare him (Nana Appea) as "the only properly and customarily enstooled paramount chief of Wenchi".

"It is for the above reasons that I am praying the Committee to restore my recognition as the only true Omanhene of Wenchi since in reality and in accordance with custom, I was never destooled".