Ho, May 11, GNA - Mama Afedima II, whose recognition as Queen Mother of the Adaklu Traditional Area was said to have been withdrawn at a ceremony at Adaklu-Abuadi on Monday, has dismissed charges levelled against her as frivolous.

Mama Afedima said she would delay comment on the legitimacy of the said action, masterminded by a group of youth, until the kingmakers of the Hosu Royal clan that has the authority to de-stool her meets and deliberate on the issue.

Mama Afedima was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at the offices of the Agency in Ho on Tuesday.

A group claiming to represent the youth of Adaklu and belonging to the Adaklu Namianyo Youth Association said she could not continue to be Queen Mother of the Traditional Area because of her alleged collusion with detractors of the people of Adaklu over the traditional area's impasse with the government over citing of the capital of the new Adaklu-Anyigbe District at Agotime-Kpetoe.

Other charges levelled against her include the "instrumental use of her daughter in government circles to win unwarranted favours, refusal to attend public meetings involving the people of Adaklu and revelation of matters of secrecy of the people of Adaklu to outsiders". Mama Afedima said she is the duly enstooled Queen Mother of the Adaklu Traditional Area since 1972 and not for Adaklu-Abuadi alone as the youth group would want people to believe.

Mrs Akosua Twum-Barima, daughter of Mama Afedima who was with her, said she her mother had never suggested that the capital for the Adaklu-Anyigbe District be cited at Agotime-Kpetoe. She said her mother's position on the issue was that a less belligerent posture should be adopted to solve the problem. Mrs Twum-Barima said Mama Afedima had even at one time suggested to the chiefs of Adaklu to propose the largely uninhabited land stretching from Adaklu-Wumenu on the Ho-Aflao trunk road to Adaklu-Waya as the capital.

She said allegations of connivance with detractors of the people of Adaklu was strange because all the chiefs including Togbe Gbogbi Atsa V, Paramount Chief of Adaklu, were aware that even before the deepening of the impasse Mama had suggested that Adaklu-Tsrekpe, as the old local government seat, be made the capital of the new district. She said allegations of her (Mrs Twum-Barima) lobbying for the position for of the District Chief Executive for the new district was an affront to her civil liberties as a Ghanaian.

Mrs Twum-Barima said she was not aware of the existence of any group called Adaklu Namianyo Youth Association, under whose aegis the said ceremony to withdraw recognition for Mama Afedima was done. She said she new only of an Adaklu Youth Association and warned that if the frivolous allegations about her continued she (Mrs Twum-Barima) would seek redress from the courts. 11 May 05