Chiefs, elders and the entire people of Wordze Traditional area in the Afadzato South District of the Volta Region have resisted claims by the Stool father of Wordze-Sementi Division, Togbe Amgba that two unknown elders have slaughtered a ram to destool a legitimate Chief of Sementi Division Togbe Apende of Wordze Paramountcy.
The chiefs and their elders have described Togbe Amgba’s action as unlawful to the Stool of Wordze and its occupants over the years and that they would ensure that all available traditional norms and practices are followed to the letter to restore peace in the traditional area.
The chiefs and elders made their intentions loud and clear when they poured libation to invoke the spirits of the traditional area’s gods to demystify such mischievous act by no other person than the Sementi clan stool father, Togbe Amgba who has no such mandate at a traditional durbar held at Wordze.
According to the area’s traditional lawful practice, destooling of a Chief is the prerogative of the Paramount Chief and elders of the Wordze Stool and not a clan or Divisional Stool Head, otherwise called Stool father as being alleged by the Sementi clan stool father, Togbe Amgba, the Wordze Stool elders disclosed.
The Paramount Stool father, Togbe Kofi Tedeka revealed that in the absence of the Paramount Chief, either traveled or dead, the Sementi Division as the right-hand Chief acts as the Paramount Chief.
“Until a legitimate occupant of the Wordze Stool is found and installed, no other chief than the current Acting Paramount Chief of Wordze Traditional area, Togbe Apende IV is recognized by all and sundry in the traditional area as such,” he emphasized.
Elders of Wordze Traditional Area, according to Togbe Kofi Tedeka, are leaving no stone unturned to come up with acceptable modalities that would pave way for them to have a new Paramount Chief.
The Paramount Chief of the area, Togbe Yaadzoa VII according to him, died four years ago and such vacuum needed to be filled, but that notwithstanding any elder or clan head under the Wordze Paramount Stool who puts himself or herself up as an installing authority they would ensure that the laws catches up with such recalcitrant person.
Togbe Tedeka stressed that the alleged destoolment exercise was clandestinely done without the notice of various chiefs and elders of Wordze Traditional area, which is not acceptable in the traditional circle, hence their stance to revoke such mischief likely to put the area in crisis.
According to him, Togbe Amgba was installed as the Stool father of Sementi Division together with Togbe Apende IV the Acting Paramount Chief who they claimed to have destooled was done the same day about 28 years ago by he the Paramount Stool father, Togbe Tedeka, adding that Togbe Apende has since creditably performed his traditional duties without any interference.
The Paramount Stool father mentioned Xorsekofe, Salaikofe, Ekpankofe, Static, Adzame and Adigbo as Divisional areas under the Wordze Paramount Stool, revealing that all these divisions chiefs and their Stool fathers were heavily present at the traditional ritual durbar to announce their allegiance to the Wordze Paramountcy.
The Chief of Wordze-Sementi, Togbe Apende IV appealed to the youth in the traditional area to remain calm and be law abiding as effective efforts are far advanced to clear the air on such mischievous and nerve breaking attitude of his Stool father, disclosing that his action has been reported to the police.
He stressed that he will not elent in carrying out his role as an Acting Paramount Chief perfectly until the rightful candidate is selected and installed as the legitimate paramount Chief of the area.
Some youth group leaders who spoke with 3news condemned the action by the Sementi Stool father, Togbe Amgba as a betrayal and appealed to the powers that be to support the Paramount Stool father, Togbe Tedeka to institute a traditional committee to quicken up destooling process of Togbe Amgba .
By Robert Abilba
