No to Yo Na as new Ya Na – Abudus fight Otumfuo committee

The Abudu royal family in Dagbon has accused the Asantehene-led Committee of Eminent Chiefs of scheming to foist the Yo Na on them as the new Ya Na (Overlord) after the completion of the funeral rites of the late Ya Na Yakubu Andani II by the Andani royal family.

In a letter addressed to Otumfuo Osei Tutu II signed by the Regent of Dagbon, Bolin-Lana Abdulai Mahamadu, the Abudus complained about what, in their view, was an arbitrary selection of the next Ya Na.

The letter read in part: “Your Majesty, as part of the ground rules at the beginning of the mediation process, you explained that the mediation process shall have three (3) phases: burial; performance of the two kings’ funerals and the search for a new king. At each stage, only issues relating to that stage can be raised and discussed. Consensus would be needed for resolutions.

“We are in stage two (2) of the process, but you have a number of times introduced the subject of phase three into the discussions. This began in 2015, and I hope you still remember how it came in.

“The last time you engaged us on that subject was on 3rd January 2019. I promised to send you my, and our, final word, which I now find time and space to do.

“Unfortunately, when we called on the President to thank him for his support, he briefed us that your Committee had reported to him that we, Abudus and Andanis, had settled on the Yo Na as our choice for the Ya Na.

“We have not yet reached stage three, there has been no joint discussion between the two families on that subject, so, from where does that report emanate?” the Regent wondered in his letter.

Per the roadmap, a new Ya Na is expected to be enskinned right after the funerals of the late Overlords of the two royal families have been done. The Abudus did their first and the Andanis are about completing theirs.