….Warns disputed Okuapehene about Odwira festival celebration
The Nketiaah Royal Family of Akuapem-Akropong has strongly rejected a petition circulating on social media against the Okuapemhemaa, Nana Afua Obuo Nketiaah II, describing it as baseless, self-serving and contrary to Akuapem customary law.
In a formal response dated 23 December 2025, addressed to the Registrar of the Akuapem Traditional Council in Akropong, the family, through their lawyer, Raymond Bagnabu, dismissed allegations made by individuals purporting to be Mpakanfo (Divisional Chiefs) of the Akuapem Traditional Area.
The petitioners had accused the Nketiaah Royal Family of ignoring alleged misconduct by the Okuapemhemaa. However, the family maintains that the petitioners lack the legal and customary standing to bring such a complaint.
According to the response, the petitioners are not members of the Nketiaah Royal Family nor of any of the three recognised royal houses, Nketiaah, Ama Ogyinae and Sakyiabia,from which occupants of the Ofori Kuma Stool are selected. As such, the family argues, they have no locus to challenge matters relating to the stool or the Queenmother.
The family further stated that Nana Afua Obuo Nketiaah II, who hails from the Nketiaah Royal Family, was duly installed as Okuapemhemaa in 2017 following the death of Nana Dokua I, after all customary processes had been complied with.
The response also cited judgments by both the Eastern Regional House of Chiefsand theNational House of Chiefs, which nullified the installation of a previously nominated Okuapehene on the grounds that due customary process had not been followed. The courts, it noted, ordered that the nomination process be conducted afresh by the Queenmother, a directive that remains in force.
The family stressed that under Akuapem custom, the authority to nominate a candidate to occupy the vacant Ofori Kuma Stool rests solely with the Okuapemhemaa. They added that, since the rulings, no such nomination has been made, rendering any individual parading as Okuapehene an imposter in law.
On the issue of the Odwira Festival, the family explained that in the absence of a Paramount Chief, all rites, rituals and the announcement of festival dates are undertaken only on the instructions of the Okuapemhemaa, acting through the Gyaasefo. Any attempt by the petitioners to organise or perform such rituals without her authorisation, they said, is contrary to Akuapem custom.
The response also described as “preposterous” allegations that the Queenmother had refused to attend meetings of a Traditional Council purportedly chaired by Kwadwo Kesse Antwi, who, according to the family, has been restrained by court orders from presenting himself as Okuapehene and has been convicted for contempt for doing so.
“The Okuapemhemaa has not acted contrary to any known custom of the Akuapem Traditional Area,” the statement said, adding that there had been no misconduct warranting intervention by the family.
The Nketiaah Royal Family concluded that the petition was a calculated attempt to demonise the Queenmother and coerce her into accepting a candidate she has never nominated.
The family has demanded a full retraction of the petition within seven days, failing which they will seek legal redress in court.
Below is the response to the petition from the Nketiaah Royal Family of Akropong:
