Okyenhene reacts to story on Nkwantanan stool

The Office of the Okyenhene has taken serious note of a Daily Graphic report on Tuesday, March 18, 2014, with the headline: “Okyenhene can’t destool Barima Omane – Court”.

We wish to express our dismay at the attention given to the four-year-old judgement of the High Court by the national daily.

It must be noted that the judgement at issue has been completely overrun and overshadowed by recent developments concerning the Nkwantanan chieftaincy impasse. The judgement of the High Court is tangential.  It does not absolve Barima Adansi Akyem Omane of the substantive charges against him.

The Nkwantanan Royal Stool is a subject matter of judicial proceedings pending before the judicial committee of the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council. The judicial committee of the traditional council is a creature of law which exercises adjudicatory authority independent of the Okyenhene.

The destoolment proceedings against Barima Adansi Akyem Omane were instituted by kingmakers of his own royal lineage. We wish to put on record that the Okyenhene has no prejudice against Barima Adansi Akyem Omane.

We believe that the interest of the people of Nkwantanan in particular and Okyeman in general would be better served if Barima Adansi Omane avails himself for the resolution of the substantive charges against him. Resorting to media gimmicks is neither in his interest nor the interest of Okyeman.  

Finally, we wish to express our disappointment at the betrayal of ethical standards by the Daily Graphic.  We believe that the publication of the four-year-old judgement as current news is ill-motivated. As a responsible national daily, we have a right to expect that it does not allow itself to be used for parochial and sectarian interest that borders on chieftaincy matters.

We urge all media houses to seek clarification on any such issue from the Public Relations Section of the Okyenhene’s Office.

D. M. Ofori-Atta,
Assistant State Secretary,
Ofori Panin Fie – Kyebi.
 
Editor’s Note: 
We noticed that our reporter inadvertently used the 2011 ruling of the High Court, instead of the February 28, 2014 ruling on the above issue.

We are used to those who disagree with our reportage reading meanings into some reports and calling us names the way the Okyeman Traditional Council has done.

The Graphic is a human institution managed by human beings and when our attention is drawn to mistakes in the newspaper, we quickly make amends. We, however, take exception to our being called names.

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