Nene Dame Agbewornu II reinstated as chief of Sege Nakomkope

The Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, on April 30, 2024, at Guggisberg Memorial Hall Dodowa, conclusively declared Nene Dame Agbewornu II, the chief of Sege Nakomkope, a suburb of Sege in the Ada West District, as the successor to the late Nene Nakom IV.

The Judicial Committee of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, chaired by King Prof. Odaifio Welentsi III, deliberated on the case between the two factions and imposed a fine of GHC15,000.00 on Nakom’s Gate, to be paid to Agbewornu’s Gate.

The Regional House of Chiefs noted that customs and tradition confirm that both the Agbewornu and Nakom families, descendants of Lomotey We from the Lomobiawe Clan in Ada, share a kinship that can be rotated between the two families.

Nene Dame Agbewornu II was approved and gazetted by the National House of Chiefs (N.H.C.) on November 14, 2012. However, he faced a summons from the Head of the Family and Kingmakers of Lomotey We and Nakom We to dethrone him as chief of Nakomkope.

Available information confirmed that the late Nene Nakom IV died in 2005, indicating that the kinship had become vacant and a native from one of the Gates of Agbewornu or Nakom had to be installed.

As a result, the Agbewornu Gate installed Gedion Dame Agbewornu with the stool name Nene Dame Agbewornu II on August 4, 2005, as chief of Sege Nakomkope. However, Nakom Gate was dissatisfied and protested his enstoolment at the Ada Traditional Council.

On June 7, 2012, the Ada Traditional Council's Judicial Committee accepted Nene Dame Agbewornu II as the chief of Sege Nakomkope, despite certain claims by Nakom Gate.

Regarding the same kinship vacancy, the Nakom Gate also installed Reverend Abraham Nakom as the chief of Sege Nakomkope with the stool name Nene Nakom V, under the pretext that the Nakom Gate is the only family entitled to ascend the throne as chief of Sege.

Unsatisfied with Nene Dame Agbewornu II's kinship, on February 28, 2020, the Nakom Gate again summoned Nene Dame Agbewornu II and Nomo Teye Agbewornu of Agbewornu Gate to the Ada Traditional Council on three premises and requested the council to destool Nene Dame Agbewornu II.

According to Nakom Gate’s explanation, the Head of Family and Kingmakers of Lomotey We are the rightful people to install a chief of Sege to succeed Nene Nakom IV.

The Agbewornu family does not follow the customs and practices of Lomotey We, which belongs to the family and lineage that ascends the Sege stool.

The Sege stool does not rotate between Nakom House and any other House within the Lomotey We Family. For these reasons, the Ada Traditional Council, on November 24, 2020, reversed its earlier decision from June 7, 2012, and declared that Nene Dame Agbewornu II is no longer the chief of Sege Nakomkope and also fined the Agbewornu Gate GHC 5,000.00 to be paid to the head of Nakom Gate, a decision the Regional House of Chiefs declined.

“The judgment delivered by the Ada Traditional Council on June 7, 2012, in the suit titled Teye Agbewornu and another vs. Rev. Abraham Nakom with suit no. ATC/JC 4/2005 was obtained by fraud, and we accordingly set the same aside,” as captured in the judgment.

In a fresh case, the Nakom Gate also accused Nene Dame Agbewornu II of providing false information through his gazette to the National House of Chiefs.

They claimed that Nene Dame Agbewornu II, in filing his gazetted form at the National House of Chiefs, provided the wrong date of death for the late Nene Nakom IV, stating January 15, 2005, instead of July 14, 2005.

Given the ruling by the Ada Traditional Council on November 24, 2020, the faction of Nene Dame Agbewornu II and Nomo Teye Agbewornu from the Agbewornu Gate appealed to the Greater Accra Regional Council of Chiefs on May 16, 2023, to direct the Ada Traditional Council to reconsider its decision from June 7, 2012, confirming Nene Dame Agbewornu II as chief of Nakomkope.

In its review, the Regional House of Chiefs stated that the Nakom Gate and the Head of Family and Kingmakers of Lomotey We could not provide sufficient evidence to prove that the details Nene Dame Agbewornu II provided at the National House of Chiefs regarding his enstoolment date and the date of the death of the late chief, Nene Nakom IV, were false.

“After reviewing the record of appeal, we have concluded that the judgment of the trial judicial committee in favor of the plaintiffs/respondents dated November 24, 2020, was not supported by the totality of evidence on record,” the judgment reads.

The Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, after listening to both factions, made a new judgment and conclusively directed the Ada Traditional Council to adopt its decision from June 7, 2012, and accept Nene Dame Agbewornu II as the legitimate chief of Sege Nakomkope.

“For the foregoing reasons, the appeal succeeds, and the same is accordingly allowed. The judgment of the trial judicial committee dated November 24, 2020, as well as the cost, are hereby set aside, and we enter judgment for the defendants/appellants. The judgment of the Judicial Committee of the Ada Traditional Council dated June 7, 2012, is at this moment restored."

"Costs: A cost of GHC15,000.00 is awarded in favor of the defendants/appellants and against the plaintiffs/respondents,” as stated in the judgment.

At the meeting, the Head of Family and Kingmakers were represented by Lomotey, Ayiku, Kanor, Anor, Narh Akpotosu, and Narhtey Tumolu We, who also acted as plaintiffs and respondents, while the Agbewornu Gate acted as defendants and appellants, were represented by Gedion Dame Agbewornu and Nomo Teye Agbewornu.

Clement Ackah-Himans and Albert Ada, the lawyers for the Agbewornu Gate and Nakom Gate, respectively, were both present before the ruling was handed down.