Osu to celebrate 2008 Homowo on August 26

PRESS STATEMENT

We the elders and Kingmakers of Osu wish to announce that our chief Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI, Osu Mantse by the powers vested in him by the elders and Kingmakers of Osu, wish to notify the general public that our Homowo festival would be held on the 26th day of August 2008. The sprinkling of the traditional kpoikpoi will be done by Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI. We call upon the Ghana Police not to interfere but rather to ensure that the ceremony passes off peacefully.

We would therefore like to explain some pertinent issues which has affected the development of Osu for many years and to update friends and Citizens of Osu on how the problems have been resolved.

This statement is to re-enforce our own belief in the essential role of the media in any civilized society. Initially, we the Kingmakers and legitimate Elders of Osu did not want a media war against those fanning the unnecessary tension at Osu, an otherwise peaceful haven for all manner of persons. However, it has now become imperative to tell the true facts in the face of the wanton falsehoods, smear campaigns and series of intimidations by those illegally parading themselves as Royals in Osu.

The Osu Traditional Area has been without a substantive Chief since 1982. The issue at stake is the choice of a right candidate from the Owuo We Royal House (House of Amantra) one of our Ruling Royal Houses in Osu. This issue has been in and out of court for the past 26 years, and has actually stalled developments in the Osu Community. For this reason and among others we the Kingmakers approached the Head of Family and Elders of Owuo We Royal House and requested them to pass on the baton to the Dowuona Royal Ruling House. They agreed to this request in the interest of peace and development of our dear community. Based on this agreement the Heads and Elders of the two Ruling Royal Houses Owuo and Dowuona We united behind we the Kingmakers to install NII OKWEI KINKA DOWUONA VI on 4th May 2007 who is a true Royal after he was properly nominated, elected and enstooled. After his installation the Osu Clottey Wulomo the Spiritual Head performed the needed rites to complete the enstoolment rituals. Nii Kinka Dowuona VI swore the oath of office to all the Elders of Osu and since then he has been our Substantive and recognised Chief.

In the year 1984, Nii Ashong Omaboe an elder of Adjuateh We was given a Power of Attorney by his father the then Acting Osiahene Nii Okwei Omaboe, to represent him in court because he was incapacitated. He went further with this Power of Attorney and claim to have installed Nii Nortey Owuo III as Osu Mantse. This sparked trouble in the Osu Community and the Government intervened by setting up a committee of inquiry to investigate the purported installation. Their findings and recommendation were that Nii Ashong Omaboe is not a traditional office holder and thus the purported installation was rendered null and void. The government decision was gazetted in the Local Government of August 1986, per this revelation Nii Nortey Owuo III left the palace and went away. The government having realized that the Stool property was still being managed by Nii Ashong Omaboe issued an Executive Instrument EI31 to collect the Stool Properties from him to Mr. E.Q. Nortey Acting Osiahene in 1992. The Osu Stool was by then vacant.

In 1999, the youth of the community requested for a chief through Mr. E.Q. Nortey and once again presented this same David Ashong to be installed, the Kingmakers (Dzaase) rejected him on the basis that he has not been able to establish his lineage with the Owuo We Royal Family. Mr. E.Q. Nortey the acting Osiahene ignored the Kingmakers and handpicked some elders from the Dzaase houses who helped him to smuggle David Ashong into the palace and subsequently handed over the palace keys to him. The Kingmakers confronted Mr. E. Q. Nortey on the issue and having realized his mistake; he apologised and wrote letters to call on David Ashong to hand over the palace keys to the Kingmakers (Dzaase) which he refused.

In the absence of a substantive chief the Osu Mankralo acting as Osu Mantse sued Unilever over non payment of rent due. In the course of hearing David Nortey Ashong alias Nii Nortey Owuo III who realized that his name has not been cancelled in the National Register, requested for an extract through his lawyer. He intervened as Osu Mantse and based on the extract that he produced, the Supreme Court ruled in his favor. This was a landlord and tenant issue and not that of chieftaincy.

With the Supreme Court ruling and the extract from the National House of Chiefs register, David Nortey Ashong alias Nii Nortey Owuo III, then proceeded and got some people who are not traditional office holders in Osu to support him as elders of Osu, and was re-admitted to the Ga Traditional Council as Osu Mantse.

On the 8th of July 2003, Solomon Nortey Owuo, Family Head of Owuo We requested his counsel Ben Akuetteh Yoyowah & Co to conduct an enquiry at the National House of Chiefs, and reminded them of the existence of the Local Government Bulletin. A response was received later from the National House of Chiefs, which confirmed the anomaly, thus David Nortey Ashong alias Nii Nortey Owuo III name was consequently removed from the Register of chiefs with backdated effect.

After the installation of Nii Kinka Dowuona VI, we the Kingmakers including the Wulomo and the Osu Mankralo were sued by David Nortey Ashong aka Nii Nortey Owuo III for contempt of a Supreme Court ruling. This was at the High Court, our defence was that the Stool had been vacant and as our customary duties and being mandated by our customs, installed the rightful candidate from Dowuona We Royal House, the Honourable judge in his ruling said that we have not in any way been in contempt of any ruling because we have performed our duties as required, however, the Osu Mankralo who is not part of the Kingmakers and didn’t play any part in the installation of the Chief, was fined by the court. Meanwhile, during the hearing of the case David Nortey Ashong aka Nii Nortey Owuo III then again sued the Osu Mankralo and one other at the Supreme Court for the same contempt charges.

Prior to the determination of the case at the Supreme Court, the National House of Chiefs issued an important statement on Osu Stool to the effect that the extract that Nii Nortey Owuo used to obtain a Supreme Court ruling in his favour has been withdrawn and cancelled. This decision was arrived after the Research Committee of the National House of Chiefs has investigated the records available to them and also to confirm an earlier statement released from their outfit in 2004.

The Supreme Court in its ruling stated categorically that it has never declared Nii Nortey Owuo III as Osu Mantse. The court in granting leave to Mr. Adumoa-Bossman who was Counsel for Nii Nortey Owuo III to withdraw the Application for Contempt unconditionally, said that since the name of Nii Nortey Owuo has been struck out from the National Register of Chiefs, he can no longer establish his status as Mantse of Osu and cannot, therefore rely on the said Supreme Court Judgement to claim that he is the Mantse of Osu.

The court therefore, prohibited Nii Nortey Owuo from ever relying on the said Supreme Court Judgement dated 17th May 2006 entitled in Re. Osu Stool; Ako Nortei II (Mankralo of Osu Vs Nii Nortey Owuo III) (Intervener) to bring Contempt Proceedings against anybody anywhere anymore. Finally the Court awarded GH5,000.00 or 50 million Cedis against Nii Nortey Owuo III. (Attached is a copy of the Supreme Court Ruling and letter from the National House of Chiefs)

Ever since the decision of the National House of Chiefs confirming the cancellation of his name from the National Register and the Supreme Court refraining him from relying on its earlier ruling, Nii Nortey Owuo and his cronies have resorted to deceiving the public and other corporate bodies into believing that he is Osu Mantse. He is now claiming that he has not been customarily destooled. The question is, if really he is what he claims to be, why has he resorted in shifting the goal post? Secondly, since 2004 that his name was cancelled from the National Register, why has he not gone to court for mandamus to compel the National House to re-enter his name? Thirdly, how can you destool someone who has never been properly enstooled by the accredited and recognised Traditional Office holders?

His senior crony and accomplice one Victor Okwei Nortey who has been parading as Stool Secretary, has been acting as his Dzaase (Kingmakers) Mankralo and even Wulomo. He has been misinforming the general public to the effect that Nii Nortey Owuo III has been re-installed even though he admits that Nortey Owuo has been derecognised by the Government and the Osu Stool Kingmakers and also his name has been CANCELLED and gazetted as such in the Local Government Bulletin of August 1986. How can such a person be trusted with the administration of any community? Nii Nortey Owuo III has no Kingmakers, no Mankralo, no Wulomo and above all no recognised Traditional Elders.

According to the custom and usages of Osu whom ever performs the ritual of sowing corn (placing ban on drumming) and harvests same (lifting ban on drumming) has to be the one to sprinkle the sacred food (kpoikpoi) during the Homowo festival. We wish to make it clear to all and sundry that we the Kingmakers, the Osu Mankralo, the Osu Clottey Wulomo and all the Elders of the four quarters performed all these rites with Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI at the shrine in the Christianborg Castle, from 16th May – 6th June 2008.

Recently, the festival of the “War god”, “Dade” was celebrated we are per this medium informing all and sundry that the festival is being organised and performed by the Asafo groups and not a Chief.

Thank You

Afiooo Afi, Afi eyaniebaninawo.

Signed by;

Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI Osu Mantse ………………………………………

Nii Ako Nortei IV Osu Mankralo ………………………………………

Numo Narku Agbeti II Osu Clottey Wulomo ……………………………………...

Numo Gbelenfo III Osu Gua Wulomo ……………………………………..

Nii Nortey Omaboe III Osu Stool Osiahene ……………………………………..

Nii Saban Atsem VII Osu Stool Dzaasetse ………………………………………

Nii Adu Attey Head Teinor We ………………………………………

Nii Okumka Mugonwulu Head, Odartey Sro We ………………………………………

Mr. Solomon Nortey Owuo Head, Owuo We ………………………………………

Mr. Godfried Nortei Dowuona Head, Dowuona We ………………………………………

Nii Yeboah Kofi III Osu Ashanti Osiahene ……………………………………

Nii Nortey Adjovie Osu Ashanti Dzaasetse ……………………………………

Nii Nortei Agbo Kotobabi Mantse ……………………………………..

Nii Awuley Nfeni IV Osu Alata Adontenghene ………………………………………

Nii Adam Sorse II Osu Alata Kyidomheme …………………………………….

Nii Agboba V Osu Alata Nifahene ……………………………………

Nii Anum Asokrodja III Anorhor Dzaasetse ……………………………………