? To spite DCE for looking down on them

The Omanhene for the Wassa Fiase traditional area, Osagyefo Kwamena Enimil, and the greater part of his divisional chiefs last Tuesday boycotted a durbar organized in honour of the vice president, Allhaji Aliu Mahama, who was on tour of the Wassa West district to inspect development projects.

The boycott, The Chronicle gathered, was not based on any animosity the paramount chief and his divisional chiefs have against the vice president.

They were protesting against their DCE, Mr. Emmanuel Kwesi Ayensu, and the district security council for looking down upon them.

The Chronicle?s own investigation revealed that when the programme for the vice president?s visit to the district was drawn, the paramount chief was approached to chair the functions, which were all durbars that were to be held separately at Prestea, Petemon and Tarkwa.

This reporter gathered that two days to the vice president?s visit, an intelligence report filtered in that the people of Petemon were against the reign of Osagyefo Enimil as the Wassa Fiase Omanhene and the likelihood of disturbances erupting when Osagyefo was allowed to chair the function could not be ruled out.

Based on this intelligence information, a District Security Council (DISEC) meeting was called and after exhaustive discussion on the issue, it was decided that Osagyefo Kwamena Enimil should not be allowed to chair the function at Petemon.

The council decided that he should chair that of Tarkwa only.

A delegation was subsequently appointed by the DISEC to convey the message to Osagyefo Enimil and his elders.

Unfortunately the delegation could not meet the paramount chief when they went to his palace because he had gone to Sekondi for the opening of the Western regional home-coming summit.

The Chronicle was told that in the early hours of the day that function was to come on, the DCE, Mr. Emmanuel Ayensu went to the palace to inform him about the DISEC decision but once again he too could not meet him, as he was still in bed.

Fortunately for the DCE, The Chronicle gathered, he met Nana Kwandoh Kyirefo, one of the Enimil?s senior divisional chiefs, and briefed him about the decision that had been taken by DISEC not to allow the paramount chief to chair the function.

Investigation revealed that when Osagyefo was briefed about the decision taking by DISEC to bar him from chairing the function at Petemon, he did not take kindly to it since the village in question was also part of his kingdom.

Based on this, the paramount chief and his divisional chiefs reportedly agreed never to attend the Tarkwa function in protest against the DISEC decision.

True to their words, they boycotted the Tarkwa function, which was addressed by the vice president.

The Chronicle gathered that when the vice president was briefed about the boycott of the chiefs to the function he decided to pay a courtesy call on the Omanhene after the function at his palace at Tarkwa before leaving town.

At the meeting with the vice president at his palace, Osagyefo Enimil reportedly told the Vice President that he was prepared to come to the function but latest development did not permit him and his divisional chiefs to do so.

When the DCE was contacted he confirmed the boycott.

He explained that the decision to stop Enimil at the last hour was to avoid embarrassment to the respected chief, the vice president and the entire district since intelligence report had it that the people of Petemon were going to cause disturbances if Enimil was allowed to chair that function at the village.

According to Ayensu, they could have also allowed the Omanhene to chair the Prestea function but they also realized that people would start asking questions if the Omanhene was not found at the durbar at Petemon hence their decision to restrict him to that of Tarkwa only.

Attempt to get Osagyefo Enimil?s part of the story was not successful.

This reporter called him on his cell phone but he refused to make any comment because he was attending a meeting.

Though he asked the reporter to call back in 30minutes time, he switched off his phone thus making it impossible for the reporter?s call to go through after several attempts.