There is brewing tensions and an uneasy calm at Asamankese and Anum in the Eastern Region, as residents agitate over the elevation of the Asamankese-Anum chief by the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin.
The promotion of Barima Essah Kwesi Mensah, a settler chief, to the status of Osabarima, at par with the Asamankese Chief, Osabarima Adu Darko III, has stirred controversies and concerns within the community as reported by myjoyonline.com.
Some residents say the move is an attempt to undermine the authority of the Asamankese chief.
Critics have also accused the Okyenhene of acting unilaterally to fulfill personal desires without considering the potential long-term conflicts and tensions it may bring among the local populace.
An anonymous opinion leader from the Anum palace expressed strong opposition, citing historical and traditional contexts.
“We the Anum people are settlers from Akwamu in Asuogyaman who were given a place by the then Chief of Asamankese, Osabarima Kwaku Amoah I, to settle. It is traditionally unprecedented to elevate any chief to the same rank as the Asamankesehene,” one of them said, according to the report.
The ceremony took place on Saturday, July 20, during which the Okyenhene elevated three chiefs, including the Asamankese-Anum chief from the status of Barima to Osabarima.
The Okyenhene reportedly defended the decision by claiming it would promote better developments within their jurisdictions.
However, many in Asamankese, especially elders and opinion leaders from the Anum clan, have questioned the rationale behind this decision.
An anonymous opinion leader from the Anum palace expressed strong opposition, citing historical and traditional contexts.
“We the Anum people are settlers from Akwamu in Asuogyaman who were given a place by the then Chief of Asamankese, Osabarima Kwaku Amoah I, to settle. It is traditionally unprecedented to elevate any chief to the same rank as the Asamankesehene”, he noted.
The report added that the opinion leader further emphasized that the stool currently occupied by the Asamankese-Anum chief was consecrated and conferred upon them by the Asamankese chief, suggesting that the elevation could lead to traditional conflict.
“We are here on the generosity of the Asamankesehene”, he stated.
