Four royal houses reaffirm loyalty to Effiduasehene

Effiduase (Ash), May 4, GNA - The four royal houses of the Mposo and Ameyaw stool of Effiduase in Ashanti -Adu Ameyaw, Nana Amakyaa, Nana Kwaku Hyia and Nana Adarkwa - have reaffirmed their loyalty and support for Nana Adu Ameyaw II as Effiduasehene.

They have, therefore, condemned the actions of the Mamponghene, Nana Osei Bonsu II, and the Mampong Traditional Council in their purported destoolment of Nana Ameyaw, describing it as "unlawful, uncustomary and of no effect on the people of Effiduase".

A statement signed by Opanin Owusu Sekyere of Adu Ameyaw, Opanin Boagya Boateng of Nana Amakyaa, Opanin Kofi Fosuhene of Nana Kwaku Hyia, and Opanin Osei Kwabena of Nana Adarkwa's Houses, said they were baffled and shocked by recent events surrounding the Effiduase stool affair.

They said in spite of the plain truth that Mr David Osei Amankwah, who calls himself Nana Osei Worae II, is not a royal of the Mposo and Ameyaw stool, certain persons had not grasped this fact.

"There has never been any Nana Osei Worae I in the history of Effiduase," they contended. The four houses said they want the whole world to know that Mr Amankwa's purported installation in February 1979 as Effiduasehene was done through fraud.

This is because while he claimed that his name had been entered in the National House of Chiefs register, he had not entered the palace, let alone been in possession of the black stool.

They claimed that he forcibly broke into the palace with the assistance of the police in December 1979 for which he was arraigned at a High Court in Kumasi on a charge of unlawful entry.

The four houses said in 1989 when Mr David Amankwah attended a funeral at Effiduase and held himself as chief, he was arraigned at a circuit court in Kumasi on a charge of offensive conduct likely to breach the peace.

They said he jumped bail and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest but he was not seen anywhere near Effiduase again until after two years when the warrant had expired.

They contended that in 1997, Mr Amankwah manoeuvred to get the Research Committee of the National House of Chiefs to enter his name in the register. They were cited for contempt since Effiduase had a chief in the person of Nana Adu Ameyaw II who had been duly recognised by the government since 1991.

The four houses said due to this recognition, Nana Ameyaw has been attending the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs meeting and acted as President of the Mampong Traditional Council.

They said in November 1998, the Research Committee of the National House of Chiefs realised their mistake and purged themselves of the contempt by expunging Nana Osei Worae's name from the register.

They said even though the Supreme Court eventually dismissed the contempt case, the ruling had nothing to do with the status of Nana Ameyaw as Effiduasehene.

The four houses said Mr Amankwah is, therefore, not a chief of Effiduase and should be regarded as any ordinary citizen by all, including the security agencies.