Nene Hakpo Adibuertey Puplampu IV crowned chief of Hwakpo

The Royal Adibiawe Clan has declared that, Nene Hakpo Adibuertey Puplampu IV is the traditionally and customarily installed rightful Chief of Hwakpo in the Ada West district of the Greater Accra region of Ghana.

The royal clan also revealed to the knowledge of everyone that they are the rightful allodia owners of all Hwakpo and other lands, bequeathed to them by ancestry heritage of their forefathers.

According to the elders, this move has become necessary due publications and other forms of media that certain faceless individuals are putting across, accusing Nene Hakpo as self-styled chief.

Addressing the media at the traditional residence of the clan, principal elders of the clan bemoaned how some individuals want to disturb the peace and harmony in the community by fueling disputes and attempting to lay claim on portions of their land.

According to them, The Adibiawe Clan holds the exclusive authority of deciding who is appointed chief on their lands, including Hwakpo and that no other clan has the right or authority to do so, or to interfere in this.

Asafoatse Obuampong, Stool father of the Royal Adebiawe clan who spoke on behalf of the entire elders of the clan indicated that, the chieftaincy lineage in Hwakpo dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries.

He added that formal documentation of chiefs however began in 1924 with Nene Korbla Atufonyer Puplampu I, who ruled until 1940.

He added further that, he was succeeded by Nene Ebewahe Puplampu II, who served for a period before passing away and was also followed by Nene Buer Daya Puplampu III, ruling for some time until his old age.

He said further that Nene Buer Daya Puplampu III, was succeeded by his son, Nene Teyebi Puplampu as acting chief and held the position from 1996 until his death in 2019.

After the passing of Nene Teyebi Puplampu lll, Nene Hakpo Adibuertey Puplampu IV was nominated and selected by the Puplampu family and installed as chief by the Lalue Wuno of Adebiawe clan, performing the traditional burial rites for Nene Teyebi Puplampu III, traditionally emphasizing the continuity of leadership in Hwakpo, as their age old tradition demands.

He added that, “Historically, Hwakpo holds great importance for the Adibiawe Clan, as it served as a refuge during times of conflict, where weapons were hidden for safety, and that this legacy reinforces their commitment to preserving their heritage and ensuring the well-being of their people.

Also throwing more light on the historical antecedent of the community, Nene Hakpo Adibuertey Puplampu IV revealed that, the Adebiawe lands were acquired through conquest, after the four sons and two daughters of Nene Adibuer Puplampu I had settled on the various villages of the Adebiawe royal clan.

He added that, Adebiawe land is very vast and include (but not limited to) Koloetor, Mantsekope, Luhuor, Hwakpo, Nuhalenya, Okudjetokope, Togakope Seesakupe and many others, with their land starting from Adokope Tekpebiawe stretching to the boundaries of Sege Lomobiawe.

The Royal Adebiawe Clan also asserts that these facts and all facts concerning chieftaincy and land issues of the whole of Ada is very well known by everybody and that no one can dispute them.

They assert further that, in Ada, it is known that, Adebiawe, Terkpebiawe, Lomobiawe, Kudjeragbe and Tangbebiawe have their separate lands with distinct boundaries and that every clan knows the boundaries of their land.

Hwakpo Chieftaincy

According to the elders, the clan wishes everyone to be careful of those they deal or transact with in relation to Hwakpo chieftaincy and lands.

They say further that the established lineage and formal installation processes of the clan highlight the importance of the traditional authority and community recognition in leadership roles wielded by the Puplampu family in Hwakpo, “Thus, any claims of self-styled chiefs must be scrutinized against the backdrop of this rich heritage and the protocols upheld by the Adibiawe clan”.

Nene Hakpo Adibuertey Puplampu IV recounted that he was summoned by the Ackwerh family to the Ada paramountcy, which the paramountcy ruled that the Ackwerh family should be recognized as chiefs, whilst using Puplampu stool name.

However, in disagreement, he summoned the Paramount Chief and the Head of Akweh family, George A. Akweh and proceeded to the High Court to trash that outcome and “On October 2, 2020, Justice Oppong Stephen ruled in my favor that the Ada Paramount Chief did not have the authority to handle such matters, overturning the declaration of the paramountcy under Nene Abramham Kabu Ackwaku III, Paramount Chief of Ada”.

According to the clan, though the Akweh family sent the matter to the Ada Traditional Council and whilst the matter is still in adjudication, the Council sneakily gazetted the candidate of the Akweh family, Agbavi G. Akweh on April 1, 2021, with confirmation of a copy of the gazette on September 2, 2021, contrary to law and the Chieftaincy Act.

The family therefore through the elders asserts that, until a conclusive adjudication of all chieftaincy matters on Hwakpo land, Nene Hakpo Adibuertey Puplampu IV remains the legitimate chief of Hwakpo and that they are certain that even after a proper and fair adjudication of the matter, he will continue to be the chief of the town. It is worth noting that, the chieftaincy matter is currently at the Regional House of Chiefs at Dodowa in the Greater Accra region of Ghana.

The Ada Traditional Council

Meanwhile Stakeholders in the Ada enclave, especially Hwakpo, ,Big Ada, Ada Foah and other communities are accusing the Ada Traditional Authority of encouraging and fueling the numerous chieftaincy disputes bedeviling the enclave.

According to them, this is largely due to the biasness and unprofessionalism on the part of the Ada Traditional Council.

According to them, adjudication of chieftaincy matter seems to have been reduced to the highest bidder, which in a lot of cases results in inconclusive adjudication processes, ambiguous and skewed judgments or blatant refusal of the Council to act.

They referenced a situation which the Traditional Council demanded and took GH¢10,000.00 from them to forward records of proceedings of their matter to the regional House of Chiefs and of which after over a year, the council has been feet dragging, instead illegally granting a gazette to the Akwehs at their blind side.

To them, the primary requirement for the issuance of gazette is that there should be no inconclusive dispute. However the council intentionally refused to forward the proceeding till date in order to aid his opponents in illegally acquiring the gazette, making him to parade himself as a gazetted chief of Hwakpo and accepted by the Ada Traditional Council, even though the case is still pending they assert.

Similar issue was asserted in the case of Ada and Ada Foah where the council is alleged to have demanded GH¢15,000.00 for the proceedings to be forwarded, but for over a year, same has not been done as Asafoatsengua Mensah Padiator IV told this paper.

They further alleged that they suspect the tampering of their documents by the traditional council, changing the names that bear Puplampu at their blind eye.

He therefore called for a Commission of Enquiry into the activities of the council and the numerous unaddressed chieftaincy issues in the area.

Reacting to the allegations, Cyril Ebenezer Mettle-Nunoo, Registrar of the Traditional Council denied allegations of wrong doing and compromise.

He indicated that, matters that come before the council are adjudicated upon by the Judicial Committee of the council, in which case they as individuals do not have influence.

On the matter of deliberate delays, he explained that certain circumstances beyond their control have resulted in some of the cases being delayed.

Police Involvement

The chief further complained about the use of the Police in the area to intimidate them. As a result of which many frivolous cases have been leveled against them, with some pending at the Sege Court.

According to him, any report they make to the Police against illegal actions against them by their opponents is overlooked.

He alleged further that the Akwehs have been very antagonistic and provocative towards them since their “illegal claim to chieftaincy”

Falsehood and defamation

The chief further decried the attempts by his opponents to smear his image by fabricating damaging stories and allegations to tarnish his image and slammed what they called “stomach journalists who run amok with every information they benefit from, however defamatory it is, cautioning them to desist from same.

National Libation Day

Meanwhile a National Libation Day event was observed in the Hwakpo township with various traditional priests and leaders calling for a day to be set aside and observed as national holiday for traditional worship (National Libation Day).

According to the elders of the Royal Adebiawe clan, the office of the Chief High Priest of the Ga State, Numo Gbobu Wulomo requested for the venue for the celebration, which the clan and their leadership agreed for the event to take place in Hwakpo.

The various Chief Priests (Wulomos) who came under the auspices of the African Faith Church were pleased with the traditional sites and heritage of Hwakpo, which according to them underlined the significance of the event.

Stakeholders bemoaned the total neglect and marginalization of the African faith or traditional worship, which they believe represents the identity of the African.

They referenced the situation where successive governments have granted national holidays for some churches, but have neglected the traditional worship. They therefore demanded that the government should set aside a day to be observed as a national libation day.

The clan further congratulated everyone who was part of the program and hopes that even a more powerful event of the national libation day festival would be organized next year and preceding years for the blessings of our ancestors.