'Antoa' chases UFP leader, Odike

The embattled former flagbearer of the United Front Party (UFP), Kwasi Addai, aka Odike, is in hot waters as he has allegedly been summoned to appear at the Asantehemaa's palace in Kumasi, before the close of today.

The ultimatum issued to Odike, a pop¬ular shoe dealer in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, is in connection with the curses he rained on the Kumasi Mayor, Kojo Bonsu and the Asokwahene, Nana Fe- Baamoah II, over a parcel of land at Asokwa, a suburb of the capital city.

Odike is allegedly being chased by the priests of Antoa, a deity in the region, to come and pacify the river goddess to reverse the curses.

If Odike fails to appear at the Asantehe¬maa's palace today, he may suffer the penalty of having the curse he invoked at the two personalities, being directed at himself, a source hinted DAILY GUIDE.

The UFP leader, some months ago invoked the powerful Antoa Nyamaa deity to deal ruthlessly with Kojo Bonsu and Nana Fe-Baamoah because he felt cheated by the duo,over a land issue.

Odike, after invoking the spirit of the deity, was hauled to the Asantehemaa's palace where he was sentenced to a fine of 24 sheep for breaching the Asant^hene's order that nobody should use river deities to curse in the Asante Kingdom.

The fine imposed on the beleaguered politician was part of a long traditional process to reverse the curses, but according to information available to this paper, he had blatantly refused to avail himself for the process to continue.

Sources close to the palace alleged that Odike had decided to play hide-and-seek with the traditional authorities at the Asan¬tehemaa's palace with regard to the rites he should perform to reverse the curses.

According to the sources, Odike had also managed to swerve the priests at the Antoa Nyamaa shrine who are said to be pursuing him to come and perform some rituals to neutralize the spiritual powers purportedly inherent in the curses.

They claimed Odike gave an excuse that he was going on an international trip whenever he was called upon to appear before the elders at the Asantehemaa's palace over the issue.

Despite the pressure being mounted on him, the UFP leader is said to be adamant as he is not showing any sign of visiting either the Asantehemaa or the Antoa Nya¬maa River to perform the required rites to reverse the curse.

Per checks by DAILY GUIDE, Odike would be made to carry some strange objects and would be made to walk some distance in public barefooted before the curses could be reversed.

He would also be made to pay some fines in cash. Some people who spoke to this paper on condition of anonymity, sus¬pected that Odike might be feeling shy and uncomfortable to carry some mundane objects in the full glare of the public, hence his decision to play hide-and-seek with the subjects of the river deity.

According to sources, if Odike failed to take advantage of the last opportunity given to him, some rites could be per¬formed in his absence so that he would suf¬fer the wrath of the river deity.

Odike, it would be recalled, was devel¬oping a DVLA testing complex at Asokwa, a prime area in Kumasi, when Kojo Bonsu allegedly ordered his men to destroy the project.

Incensed by the destruction caused to his property, heallegedly went to the hous¬es of Kojo Bonsu and the Asokwahene where he reportedly cursed the two using some eggs and bottles of schnapps.