Goaso in the Ahafo Region is ‘boiling’ with a war of words over royalty as the current Omanhene is insisting the immediate past Omanhene was not a royal.
The immediate past Omanhene of Goaso in the Ahafo Region, Nana Agyei Ampofo and the incumbent Omanhene, Nana Kwasi Bosomprah are engaged in a fierce battle of words over qualification to ascend to the Goaso stool.
While Nana Ampofo, 77, insists that he is a royal and therefore was qualified to ascend the stool, Nana Bosomprah, 58, says that cannot be true.
Nana Ampofo, a lawyer by profession, and a former Member of the Council of State in the Rawlings regime, abdicated the stool in 2000 in the midst of a chieftaincy dispute, which was before the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II for adjudication.
Eight years after his abdication in 2008, Nana Bosomprah, a driver with the Ghana Cocoa Board, took over as Omanhene.
Battle of words
The battle of words started on January 12, 2024, when the former Omanhene held a news conference at Goaso to react to an alleged statement by Nana Bosomprah that, he (former Omanhene) is not a royal and that he signed a letter to that effect before ascending the stool.
He claimed that since Nana Bosomprah became Omanhene, he has been doing everything to provoke him with unfounded allegations.
Tracing his lineage, Nana Ampofo stated, “I am telling Nana Bosomprah that I’m a royal of Goaso, secondly I abdicated the stool on my own volition.“
Nana Ampofo said Nana Bosomprah’s family is not the only royal family at Goaso as he claims.
Alleged assassination
The former Omanhene spoke about an attempted assassination in Kumasi one night during the chieftaincy dispute by some people and pointed accusing fingers at persons close to the current Omanhene.
He also accused the Nana Bosomprah of running an autocratic administration in the palace as he doesn’t allow his sub chiefs a say in matters of importance.
Nana Bosomprah fires back
In his response a day later, Nana Bosomprah also called a news conference, where he insisted that Nana Ampofo is not a royal.
Although the Omanhene denied ever saying anywhere that Nana Ampofo wrote a letter that he is not a royal, he nevertheless, claimed that some people in the town have copies of the said letter.
He said per Asante tradition, Goasohene is the chief palm wine tapper of the Asantehene.
Going ahead to trace his lineage, the Omanhene said it is only from his family that the Asantehene’s chief palmwine tapper is chosen.
“I challenge Nana Ampofo to also trace his lineage to show that Otumfuo’s chief palmwine tapper can be chosen from his family,” he fired .
Nana Bosomprah refuted allegations that he planned to assassinate Nana Ampofo, and also he is autocratic.