Woyome family denies allegations of role in installation of chief

Former Member of Parliament (MP) for South Tongu in the Volta Region, Kwabla Mensah Woyome, together with his elder brother, Alfred Agbesi, has threatened legal action — including a defamation suit — against some divisional chiefs, queenmothers, traditional office holders and other individuals over what they describe as malicious and false publications against them.

Their legal threat follows a series of public statements and media reports by a group of traditional authorities accusing the Woyome brothers of unlawfully interfering in the affairs of the Agave Traditional Area.

The allegations arise from ongoing internal conflicts within the Agave chieftaincy structure. On Monday, November 24, 2025, the said chiefs, queenmothers and their supporters staged a protest and petitioned President John Dramani Mahama, urging him to halt what they described as “systematic and unlawful interference” by the Woyome brothers in chieftaincy matters.

According to the protestors, the brothers are “outsiders” to Agave customs and therefore unqualified to play any role in traditional leadership issues—an allegation the Woyome brothers reject, arguing that the accusers themselves lack proper bloodline to the Agave royal paramount stool.

“The Woyome brothers do not fit the traditional priestly role in Agave. By customs and laws, they are considered outsiders. Despite this, they have used their previous positions— one as a former Consul and the other as a former MP — to meddle in chieftaincy matters that do not concern them,” the petition alleged.

They further accused the brothers and the Volta Regional House of Chiefs (VRHC) of installing and gazetting a “self-styled Paramount Chief” under his private name —a practice they claim is alien to Agave tradition.

In a swift rebuttal, the Woyome brothers dismissed all allegations, describing the claims as lies manufactured by individuals pursuing selfish interests.

They couldn't fathom why these strangers would rather attract their integrity by peddling false claims against them who are royal of the Agave Traditional Area.

They noted that several of the traditional leaders leading these attacks have had their own statuses questioned due to allegations of false claims and improper conduct.

Woyome also explained that when the Agave Paramount Chieftaincy dispute was formally brought to his attention in 2011 and 2012, many can attest that his elder brother, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, was already in court pursuing his own legal matters and could not have been involved in any installation process.

“So anytime the elders in the area needed financial support, they channelled their requests through me. But the claim that we were involved in the installation of Togbega Xedihor Hlitabo IV as Paramount Chief is simply not true,” he clarified.

The brothers expressed displeasure that the chiefs and queenmothers defied a lawful directive from a competent court — and reportedly from the Volta Regional Coordinating Council — to stage a protest aimed at tarnishing their reputation.

According to them, the November 24 protest “exposed the naivety, selfish interests and unlawful conduct” of the demonstrators, whom they also accused of spreading fake news and defamatory content on social media.

They insist that the false publications have severely damaged their reputations, prompting their decision to seek legal redress.

The brothers revealed they have already consulted their lawyers, who are preparing to file suit against what they describe as “unscrupulous” individuals in the Agave Traditional Area.

They also lamented that some individuals they had previously helped financially have now joined forces with the protestors to attack them, including dragging the integrity of their late mother into the controversy, a development they described as painful and degrading.

The brothers further accused the senior police, with the Sogakope District Police Command, ACP Takpa, of helping the chiefs and queenmothers of Agave to defy a court order and a directive from the Volta Regional Security Coordinating Council that prohibited the protest.

According to them, the conduct of the senior police officer and the South Tongu District Security Committee (DISEC) suggested that they believed themselves “more powerful” than the regional security authority — hence their decision to disregard the directive.

Speaking to journalists in Accra on Thursday, November 27, 2025, the brothers dismissed viral claims that they supported the VRHC to install and gazette Edward Allan Agbeti (known traditionally as Togbega Xedihor Hlitabo IV) as Paramount Chief of Agave.

The allegations that Togbega Xedihor Hlitabo IV was a criminal and had been sacked from the Dzodze Senior High School (DZOSEC) were reportedly made by a rival faction, likely connected to an ongoing chieftaincy dispute in the Agave area.

Togbega Xedihor Hlitabo IV and his supporters, including other chiefs and queenmothers, have consistently refuted these claims and have taken legal action, including obtaining a court injunction to stop attempts by the rival group to install another paramount chief.

“This publication is a complete fabrication. We have never supported the VRHC to crown Togbega Xedihor Hlitabo IV— whose private name is Edward Allan Agbeti — or any other person as Paramount Chief of Agave. We have no involvement whatsoever. Our hands are clean,” they stressed.

They emphasised that they were raised in a family steeped in legal discipline — with both their father and grandfather being legal practitioners — making it unlikely for them to engage in unlawful acts or acts that undermine traditional norms.

They maintained, however, that they had played significant roles in helping resolve longstanding disputes within Agave, particularly conflicts between churches and the traditional council over annual bans on drumming and noise-making.

They believe the current protest is a personal attack intended to undermine their peace-building efforts, adding that “the evil plans of their enemies have failed.”

Mensah Woyome traced the origins of the dispute to 2011, when some elders — including the current Awadada of Agave — approached him at Parliament seeking his support for the outdooring of Togbega Xedihor Hlitabo IV.

Shortly afterwards, however, he received a protest petition from the elders of the Yelu House Gate of the Tsiala Clan, led by Togbe Yelu Keteni V.

That six-page petition, dated October 21, 2012, alleged that a secret and unconstitutional attempt was underway to install a new Hlitabo. It was addressed to the Chairman of the South Tongu DISEC and copied to the IGP, National Security, BNI, CHRAJ, the Dabala Magistrate Court and other security agencies.

The petitioners warned that certain factions — including the Awadada from the Tievie Clan (which they argued was outside Agave), the Hlitabo family at Agorme and Dabala, and staff of the late Togbe Degenu’s palace — were attempting to hijack the paramountcy.

According to Woyome, this demonstrates that the installation of Togbega Xedihor Hlitabo IV has long been a contested matter, still pending before the VRHC.

He said that on May 5, 2025, he wrote to the Minister of Local Government and Religious Affairs requesting expedited hearings by the VRHC Judicial Committee to help bring clarity and peace to the traditional area.

The minister reportedly responded by directing the Judicial Committee to prioritise the matter.

Woyome accused certain traditional office holders of interfering with the ongoing chieftaincy dispute before the VRHC and expressed disappointment that chiefs were tarnishing his image despite his efforts to help mediate and resolve the conflict.

He also noted that some of the same chiefs protesting against him today had previously resisted attempts to resolve disputes between the traditional council and churches over noise-making regulations.

Woyome urged the public, especially residents of the Agave Traditional Area, to disregard the “inaccurate, false and self-serving” information being circulated about him and his brother.

He reaffirmed their commitment to lawful conduct, peaceful dialogue, and respect for both traditional and constitutional processes.

He advised those spreading falsehoods to desist from their illegal actions.

The former MP highlighted that internal wrangling and character assassination have long undermined peace and development in Agave.

It will be recalled that the Sogakope High Court recently issued an injunction against the installation and outdooring of a new Paramount Chief in the Agave Traditional Area, deeming the process illegal.

This followed a press release from the current Paramount Chief, Togbega Xedihor Hlitabo IV, who asserted that he remains the legally recognised chief and that any attempt to install a new one is unnecessary and destabilizing.

The injunction halts all actions toward installing a new chief.

Togbega Xedihor Hlitabo IV was lawfully sworn in on October 9, 2024, and inducted into the Volta Regional House of Chiefs on October 15, 2024.