Chiefs’ President Alarmed Over Partisan Colleagues

The President of the National House of Chiefs, Odeneho Gyapong Ababio, has expressed worry over the endorsement of political parties and presidential candidates by chiefs in the country. According to him, the trend if not checked can undermine the role of chiefs as unifiers. Odeneho Juapong Ababio raised the concerns while speaking to Ekourba Gyasi on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem programme this morning on recent remarks made by the chief of Tema, Nii Adjei Krakue and the Nana Ameyaw Akumfi, chief of Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region. The two were reported to have openly expressed support for Professor Mills and Nana Akufo-Addo respectively when the flag-bearers paid courtesy calls on them. The House of Chiefs President who is also a member of the Council of State said, chiefs as fathers of their traditional areas should not force their subjects to vote for a particular candidate or party. He therefore advised his colleagues that even if they will make any political statement during courtesy calls on them by party leaders at all, their message should be couched in a way that will not clearly identify them with a particular divide. Chiefs under the 1992 Constitution of Ghana are barred from engaging in partisan politics. While the Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Krakue, who received the NDC flag bearer, Professor Atta Mills at his Palace last week and virtually extolled the virtues of the NDC leader and his party, he later explained that his message was misconstrued. The Techimanhene on his part was captured on television asking his people in a proverb to vote for the NPP because if they did not want to continue to be called “orphans”.