Imposters! No member of our council laid wreaths at Rawlings’ funeral – Anlo Chiefs

Secretary to the local funeral planning committee of the Anlo Traditional area, Togbi Kumassah has described persons who represented the Anlo State during the late former President’s funeral as imposters.

Some two persons, clad in black, walked forward to lay a wreath on behalf of the Anlo State, during a wreath-laying ceremony at the funeral of Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings on Wednesday, January 27, 2021.

It was perceived that these persons may have been delegated by Chiefs of the area, to represent them at the state event.

But speaking to GhanaWeb a day after the burial, Togbi Kumassah who speaks for the Anlo Traditional Council explained that no such persons were designated to represent them. In any case, he explained, people would only have been delegated, with the approval of the Avadada, who is next in command after the King of the Anlo State; the Awomefia, Togbi Sri III.

“I saw it on the television and could not recognise the person who did that, but to the best of my knowledge, I am the secretary of the local funeral planning committee, I’d have known that the Avadada had delegated somebody to do that on our behalf, which would be very very strange.

“So I think it would be somebody you can call an imposter who claims to be a chief,” he said.

Abgotadua Kumassah believes the move was motivated by persons among the family’s planning committee who wanted to avoid the embarrassment that may have been caused if no representative came forward to present the wreath.