Bantamahene calls for restoration of chiefs ‘Power of Summons’
According to him, chiefs wield much power especially in the local area thus need such power to liaise easily with the police to bring offenders to book and to deal with pertinent matters.
The Bantamahene and Chairman of the Kumasi Traditional Council, Baffour Asare Owusu Amankwatia V has called for the restoration of the chief's power of summons.
According to him, chiefs wield much power especially in the local area thus need such power to liaise easily with the police to bring offenders to book and to deal with pertinent matters.
“Authority in the local area is vested in the chiefs so we appeal to you to restore to us the power of summons that has been taken from us to easily liaise with the police to bring offenders and perpetrators to book.
“The Chiefs will be able to lead in bringing such situations under control however that power has been taken away from us so today, we speak jointly as a council in making this passionate appeal to the government to help in restoring this power to us.”
Baffour made this appeal on Thursday, August 2022 when the management of Kumasi-based Oyerepa FM appeared before them to apologize for some allegations made on their platform against Manhyia and the counsel by the founder and leader of the United Progressive Party(UPP), Kwasi Addai Odike.
Mr Odike was also expected to appear before the council but could not make it, He is therefore billed to appear on Monday.
This is not the first time that this appeal is being made by chiefs relative to the restoration of the Chief's power of summons which existed per Section 63(d) of the Chieftaincy Act 2008 (Act 759).
Chiefs have severally in the past, asked for the restoration of power not only in recognition of their all-important role as development agents but also to enable them to deal with pertinent issues and vices in their traditional areas like the galamsey menace ever since it was declared as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
In 2011, the Supreme Court of Ghana per Date-Bah(JSC) in the case of Nana Adjei Ampofo v Attorney General and the President of the National House of Chiefs, expunged, deleted and struck out from Act 759, Section 63(d) on the grounds of its unconstitutionality.
Section 63 of the Chieftaincy Act 2008 (Act 759) states as follows;
Certain offences in connection with chiefs
A person who
- Acts or performs the function of a chief when that person is not qualified to act
- Being a chief assumes a position that the person is not entitled to by custom,
- Knowingly uses disrespectful or insulting language or insults a chief by word or conduct,
- Deliberately refuses to honour a call from a chief to attend to an issue,
- Refuses to undertake communal labour announced by a chief without reasonable cause, or
- Deliberately fails to follow the right procedure to destool a chief
