Kwahu 'self-styled chief' Baffour Akoto Osei faces contempt suit

The simmering Kwahu chieftaincy dispute in the Eastern Region has escalated into a full-blown legal battle following the formal service of a contempt application on Baffour Akoto Osei for allegedly breaching a binding order issued by the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs (ERHC).

The self-styled chief, Baffour Akoto Osei, also known as Daasebre Akuamoah Boateng III, was on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, served with a contempt suit filed at the High Court of Ghana sitting in Koforidua.

He is accused of deliberately defying a subsisting injunction imposed by the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs in an ongoing chieftaincy dispute over the Kwahu paramountcy.

Background

The legal and traditional conflict dates back to June 24, 2025, when the Judicial Committee of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, sitting in Koforidua, heard a chieftaincy petition concerning the rightful occupant of the Kwahuhene stool.

As part of the proceedings, the Judicial Committee granted an interlocutory injunction against Baffour Akoto Osei.

The order explicitly restrained him from holding himself out as Kwahuhene, carrying himself as Kwahuhene, or presenting himself in any form as Kwahuhene, pending the final determination of the substantive chieftaincy petition before the House of Chiefs.

The injunction was described as clear, unambiguous, and legally binding, in line with the constitutional authority vested in the Regional Houses of Chiefs to adjudicate traditional disputes.

Alleged Defiance of the Injunction

Despite the subsisting order, Baffour Akoto Osei is accused of continuing to publicly present himself as the Kwahuhene, actions that complainants say constitute a direct and deliberate breach of the injunction.

These alleged actions triggered legal steps beyond the traditional system, resulting in the filing of contempt proceedings at the High Court in Koforidua.

The suit seeks to hold him accountable for allegedly disobeying the order of a constitutionally recognised adjudicatory body.

He has now been formally served with the contempt application and is expected to respond to the allegations before the court.

Rule of Law Meets Traditional Authority

The initiation of contempt proceedings highlights the legal force of decisions and orders issued by traditional governance institutions established under the Constitution.

Orders issued by bodies such as the Regional Houses of Chiefs are not merely symbolic directives but carry enforceable legal authority.

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