The Torgbui Kweku Ayim Committee has on Monday, 7th September 2020 presented its final white paper to the Chiefs and People of the Akpini Traditional Area with a call on all the families and factions who were negatively affected during the past 37 years by the chieftaincy dispute to let go, despite the difficulty, as it is the only option and the best way to go.

This was done at a press briefing event which was held at the Assembly Hall of Kpando Senior High School in Kpando.

The committee acknowledged the patience of the families affected by the dispute whiles encouraging them to give peace a chance.

“The battle is over, we are one Akpini State, with a common destiny, we are at the crossroads of peace, retreating to the past will draw us back into revenge and retrogression, going left or right will lead us to disaster, the only choice before us is to move forward in peace.”

The committee expressed its gratitude to the Volta Regional House of Chiefs and its president, Torgbui Nana Soglo Alloh IV, all the chiefs and elders of the Akpini Traditional Council, the royal families, queen mothers, linguists, the heads of Asafo youth groups, the Member of Parliament for the Kpando constituency, the Municipal Chief Executive, Divisional Police Command, the clergy and churches, benefactors and benefactresses and all peace-loving people of the Akpini State who have supported and provided the historical ingredients for its report.

The Committee in a special way saluted the Elites Group of the Akpini State who are said to be the “final pilots to take the Akpini plane to a perfect landing” as well as citizens and non-citizens of Kpando, panels, committees and commissions that have attempted to resolve the dispute in the past.

Addressing the press on behalf of the committee, Rev. Fr. Isaac Benuyenah, Parish Priest of the St. Augustine’s Parish, Hohoe and member of the committee noted that, some of the recommendations of the committee in its initial report had been duly implemented while the remaining recommendations are expected to be carried as soon as possible.

Paramount on the list of recommendations is the reconciliation of the royal families and the subsequent selection and enstooling of a new Torgbui Dagadu. Each divisional or sub-chief is expected to stick to their traditionally defined roles in the Akpini State. Also, preparations are to be made to pave way for the celebration of the Dayibakaka festival.

Accepting the report on behalf of the Chiefs and the three divisions, Torgbui Afendza III, expressed deep appreciation to the committee for its report and pledged to see to the implementation of the remaining recommendations of the committee.

Addressing the gathering, the Registrar of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs Harry Attipoe spoke of the uniqueness of likening the enstoolment of chiefs in the Akpini Kingdom to how kings were enstooled in the bible and in the Ashanti kingdom.

He lamented that, due to the vacuum created by the Akpini stool at the Regional House of chiefs, Kpando is fast losing its dignity, pride, authority and influence and as such Kpando is no longer the pacesetter in the region. He also urged the chiefs to quickly bury the hatchet and implement the recommendations of the Ayim Committee report which has been approved by the House of Chiefs, a thing he noted will restore the lost glory and Authority of the Akpini State.

For their parts, the Member of Parliament, Hon. Della Sowah and the Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Ernest Quist expressed gratitude to the committee and the chiefs. Respectively they pledged their support to the course of development in Kpando.

The press briefing was witnessed by the Dr. Ernest Aculey Ansah, Chairman of the Akpini Elite Mediation Committee, the Kpando Divisional Police commander and some invited guests from the Kpando Municipal Assembly.

Background

The Torgbui Kweku Ayim Committee was set up by the Volta Regional House of Chiefs in 2017 to arbitrate and resolve the decades-old chieftaincy conflict in the Akpini State (Kpando) after failed attempts by some other committees in the past.

The committee was made up of Torgbui Kweku Ayim IV, Paramount of Chief of Ziave Traditional Area - Chairman, Torgbui Osei Tutu Brempong III - Chief of Wusuta Traditional Area, Rev. Fr. Isaac Benuyenah - Parish Priest of St. Augustine’s Parish, Hohoe and Benedict Daniel Kosipah as its secretary.

The committee according to its report sat for 43 times within the last three years and had examined historical facts and evidence gathered before arriving at its recommendations.

The committee observed that the dispute was multifaceted and deeply rooted in acrimony, antagonism and bad faith which had led to the distortion of historical fact and genealogical evidence and therefore called on the elites from the Akpini State to seize the opportunity to document the history of the Akpini State.