Asantehene Gives Green Light for Derma Enstoolment Process to Begin
The Occupant of the Golden Stool, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has given the green light for the enstoolment process of the new chief and Baapanin of Derma to officially commence.
The directive was issued during a sitting of the Kumasi Traditional Council on November 2, 2026, following the resolution of a prolonged chieftaincy dispute over the female stool.
The path to enstoolment was cleared after His Majesty accepted the dibim (a formal plea for leniency and forgiveness) from Owusu Ansa, Nsia Asare, and Akwasi Owusu.
The trio had previously invoked the sacred Great Oath of Asantehene (Ntamkese) to lay claim to the Derma stool.
Outlining the succession protocol, Otumfuo directed that Comfort Dufie see to the selection of a male for the vacant male stool.
He also announced his appointment of Maame Dufie as Derma Baapanin.
“Find a suitable male candidate to ascend the male stool first. After that, you may proceed with the ascension to the female stool,” he instructed.
The Asantehene highlighted the severe hardships and abandonment Maame Dufie endured from her own relatives while defending her family’s royal rights, declaring that her perseverance proved her worthy of the position.
“Her own family abandoned her during the fight. I am fully aware of everything that,” the King stated, emphasising that she had earned the title through her sacrifices.
Judgement
Deliberating on the dispute, he reaffirmed that the Derma stool rightfully belongs to the family of Maame Comfort Dufie.
He explained that the three claimants descended from two paternal sisters of Ntiamoah Woso, the first occupant of the stool.
His Majesty recalled that although the sisters joined their brother in Derma and lived in unity as one family for generations, the true royal lineage remained distinct.
“With the passage of time, whenever the stool became vacant, individuals were appointed regardless of this history because they lived as one family,” Otumfuo noted.
“However, now that the Great Oath was wrongly invoked to claim the stool, the true history had to come to light. Those who wrongly invoked the oath can no longer go near the stool. Dufie’s family are the true owners.”
Story by Hajara Fuseini
Click to read more: https://opemsuo.com/author/hajara-fuseini/
