THE PETELI Royal family of Banda in the Tain Disitrict of Brong Ahafo has sworn to make it extremely impossible for the President to visit the area if the family is not given the recognition and invited to be part of the ceremony to mark his visit.

The family claim the communities that are being relocated are settlers who acquired the lands through the magnanimity of the Banda Stool and that under no circumstance should government deal with the leadership of communities who are being displaced, to give way for the construction of the Bui Dam Project.

Nana Kwadwo Fordjour, head of the Peteli Royal family told newsmen in Kumasi, yesterday, that the fact that there is a protracted chieftaincy dispute in the area over the last 30 years, does not allow government to invite, deal or enter into any negotiations over payment of compensation without referring to the original owners of the land.

He described the purported transaction as wrong and stated that the two gates of the Banda Stool would want to meet government one-on-one to deal with the issue and set the records straight for posterity sake.

Nana Fordjour was not happy with the recent visit of the Vice President, Mr. John Mahama to the Bui Dam project site recently, because only one of the factions was invited, which situation he says was viewed as very serious.

According to the head of family, the NPP administration recognized the two rival chiefs when it came to dealing with the proposed Dam, and described the change in situation as very regrettable.

He said in taking the stand to protest against the government’s position in the issue, the family had taken into consideration a lot of retrospection and hoped the government would take steps to rectify the situation as soon as possible.

A very much aggrieved Nana Fordjour intimated that he would not sit aloof for his faction to be sidelined in the sharing of the national cake. President Atta Mills begins a three day tour of the Brong Ahafo today, and would visit the Bui dam project on Thursday, where he is expected to meet the chiefs and people of Banda.