Regional News of Wednesday, 14 February 2024

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Kwaebibirem MCE accused of preventing chief from attending swearing in of assembly members

Chief of Kade Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II Chief of Kade Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II

The Municipal Chief Executive for Kwaebibirem, Seth Kwame Antwi Boasiako, has been accused by the Chief of Kade, Osabarima Agyare Tinadu II of preventing him to discharge his constitutional right and mandate.

According to chief, he was on the orders of the MCE prevented from attending a national event in which he was scheduled to deliver an address on Monday, February 12, 2024, at the Assembly.

Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II upon arriving at the venue for the swearing in of newly elected assembly members was reportedly prevented from accesing the venue by police officers at the event.

The incident is said to have resulted in a near chaos as the youth of Kade sought to express their anger over the prevention of their chief from exercising his rights.

The confrontation between the youth and the police led to the deployment of additional security personnel from other districts to restore calm at the venue.

Reacting to the incident, Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II described the action of the MCE as unlawful and disrespectful to his position.

"As a law-abiding citizen it took me over an hour to convince my Elders and the teeming youth of Kade to avoid putting the law into their own hands by retaliating to the unlawful actions against me by the MCE and the police officials," he stated.

According to the chief, the MCE since his appointment has failed to recongnise him as the legitimate chief of Kade noting that such an attitude has the potential to affect the peace and development of the area.

Recently, the Kade Magistrate Court dismissed an application by the Ghana Police Service seeking an order to compel Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II and four others to sign a bond pledging to keep peace in the town.

According to the police, they had received reliable information indicating that Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II's intention to attend several funerals within the area between February 2 to 4, 2024, had the potential to lead to chaos, breaching public order and peace.

However, the presiding Magistrate George David K. Ofori in agreeing with the argument of the lawyer for Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II, ruled that the matter was before a High Court and that his court lacked jurisdiction to sit on the matter.

In reaction to the ruling, lawyer for Osabarima Agyare Tenadub II, Nkrabeah Effah Dartey emphasised that his client remains the legitimate chief of Kade. He cited a ruling by the Kumasi High Court to back his claim.

“The law is that as of today, the Chief of Kade is called Osabarima Agyare Tenadu II. His name is in the register of chiefs, and the legal battle surrounding his status has been resolved to the extent that the matter is pending at the Supreme Court.

"So he is the chief; he lives in the palace at Kade and performs all his functions as a chief.

“Now there is somebody called Twum Debrah who is pretending that he is called Asare Twe, Kadehene. He managed to get his name in the register of chiefs, and he managed to be gazetted.

"The Kumasi High Court, presided over by Mrs. Justice Ofosu Marfo, has given a specific order of certiorari to quash the registration of Asare Twe and the gazetting. So it means, as far as the law is concerned, Osabarima Agyare Tenadu is the chief until the Supreme Court gives a ruling one way or the other,” he stated.

GA/SARA