Santase Bretuo Family assures Pepease Residents of Peaceful Resolution to Chieftaincy Dispute through Legal Channels

The Santase Bretuo Royal Family of Pepease in the Kwahu East District has urged residents to remain calm, assuring them that the family is committed to maintaining peace within the community amid the ongoing chieftaincy dispute through legal means.

In an address to the media on Saturday at the Santase Bretuo Royal Family house in Kwahu Pepease, Abusuapanin Nana Amankwaa Beitwum, during the installation of Nana Ampedu Kyere III as Chief of Kwahu Pepease, emphasized the family’s dedication to ensuring the safety and protection of life and property within the community.

“We urge the people of Pepease to stay calm and continue with their daily activities while we use legal means to resolve the chieftaincy dispute. Our priority is to restore peace and ensure the well-being of the community,” Nana Beitwum stated.

Nana Ampedu Kyere III, born Kwasi Kesse Ansong, was newly installed by the Santase Bretuo Royal Family, succeeding Nana Bonsu Ayirepe Ababio. According to the family, Nana Bonsu Ayirepe Ababio is not a legitimate royal and is currently awaiting sentencing following his conviction by the Koforidua High Court.

Addressing the dispute, Nana Amankwah Beitwum explained that the National House of Chiefs had declared the installation of Kwaku Osei Bonsu, who had assumed the title Nana Bonsu Ayirepe Ababio, null and void due to his failure to adhere to the customs and traditions of the Akan culture. The judgment also ordered the Queenmother of Pepease, who is also the Kwahu Kyidomhemaa, along with the Abusuapanin, to follow proper customs and traditions to select a rightful candidate for the stool.

According to Nana Beitwum, Nana Bonsu Ayirepe Ababio refused to comply with the National House of Chiefs’ ruling and did not appeal to the Supreme Court. He was subsequently cited for contempt by the Kumasi High Court, fined, and later found guilty again by the Koforidua High Court. The court instructed him to vacate the stool and return for sentencing within 14 days.

Background:

The appellants in the case argue that the Pepease stool belongs to the Santase Bretuo Royal Family, whose members are eligible to contest for the stool. They maintain that since the death of the late Chief of Pepease on October 5, 2013, the dispute over the succession has arisen.

The appellants contend that only the Santase Bretuo Family has historically ascended the Pepease stool, and that despite the existence of other branches of the larger Bretuo Clan, each branch has its own distinct family heads and stools.

The appellants further argue that Kwaku Osei Bonsu, the son of Nana Osei Mensah (Asomenasehene of the Osei Mensah Bretuo Family), is not a legitimate member of the Santase Bretuo Family and therefore ineligible to occupy the stool. They point out that the families intermarried and did not share funeral debts, which further establishes their distinctiveness.

The appellants also claim that the procedures followed to install Kwaku Osei Bonsu as Chief of Pepease were flawed and violated the established customs and traditions of the community and Akan culture.

In contrast, the respondents argue that there is only one Bretuo Royal Family, which consists of four gates: Yaa Boadiwaa, Oforiwaa Pokua, Ama Gyafo, and Nana Sawiri. According to the respondents, all members of this single Bretuo family are eligible to inherit the Pepease stool.

By William Dei Gyau || Ghananewsonline.com.gh