Kontihene of New Juabeng Traditional Area, Baffour Nyantakyi Tutu Boateng
The Eastern Regional House of Chiefs as well as the National House of Chiefs have been sued by the Kontihene of New Juaben Traditional Area, Baffour Nyantakyi Tutu Boateng, over some alleged anomalies identified in Legislative Instrument 2409 (LI2409).
In the suit filed at the Koforidua High Court, Baffour Tutu Boateng prayed the court to order the President of the National House of Chiefs to cause an amendment to be made to Regulation 7(1)(h) of LI2409 to include all the divisional stools/chiefs within the New Juaben Traditional Area using the national register of chiefs as at July 1, 2020, and further declare the inclusion of sub-divisional stools and non-existent stools under Regulation 7(1)(h) for and on behalf of the New Juaben Traditional Area as null and void, as it is contrary to the very regulation.
He has also prayed the court to place a permanent injunction on the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs from inaugurating chiefs from the New Juaben Traditional Area as members until the LI is amended by the National House of Chiefs. He is also seeking an order of permanent injunction against the New Juaben Traditional Council from selecting chiefs from the list contained under Regulation 7(1)(h) and submitting same to the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs until such time that the said regulation is amended by the President of the National House of Chiefs as well as any orders the court deems fit.
Petition
The court case follows a petition which was sent to the National House of Chiefs by the Kontihene last month.
Baffour Nyantakyi Tutu Boateng contended, in what he terms ‘condition precedents’, that for the name of a chief below the rank of a paramount chief to be entered into the LI2409, the chief must be a divisional chief as at the date of gazette of the LI in July 1 2020.
He added that a divisional chief must be a member of a traditional council at the date of the gazette of the LI and the stool of the divisional chief must be in existence as at the date of the gazette of the LI.
Anomalies
According to him, even though the existing number of divisional chiefs within the New Juaben Traditional Area is 12, the list as it appears in the LI2409 is not a true reflection of what is on the ground as at the date of the gazette.
“The list of divisional chiefs as it stands currently is illegitimate because it contains non-existing stools unheard of in the traditional area since 1875 when our ancestors arrived at the current location from Asante Juaben and finally established the New Juaben in 1878.
“These non-existing and unheard of stools are Betomhene, Srodaehene, Nsukwaohene and Adwesohene. This can be verified at the records/registry of the National House of Chiefs,” he said.
He noted that the organic and original divisions, their divisional heads and status, within the New Juaben Traditional Area, who are all members of the New Juaben Traditional Council include Adontenhene/Oyokohene, Akyempemhene, Ayokohene, Benkumhene, /Asokorehene, Gyaasehene, Jumapohene, Krontihene and Kyidomhene.
