Royal Status of Awua-Dumase Queen Challenged
Mr Charles Kojo Boateng, a member of the royal house of Awua-Dumase in the Bono Region has challenged the royal status of the Queen, Nana Yaa Owusuwaa Ayeboafo II.
This came up after an attempt by the Queen to fill the vacant stool of the Traditional Area following the death of Nana Kwame Korang VI.
She elected one Kofi Ntow for enstoolment; however, the attempt was challenged by a party of the royal house in court, stalling the process.
Standing before Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and the Asanteman Council on August 19, 2024, Mr Boateng emphasized that neither the nominee nor the queen herself is of the royal house and therefore their ineligibility.
“We went to court because the queen ascended the stool not in accordance with customary law. She is not a royal and her nominee for the paramount stool is also not a royal.”
He furthered that only the royals of Bantama are entitled to the stool since they trace their root to a town in Kumasi.
“We are from Bantama and therefore no one from Berekum or Dormaa can ascend the stool. We trace our ancestry to the great warrior of Asante, Kwabena Kyere and the Queen is not related to us,” he stated as he invoked the Great oath to support his assertion.
Meanwhile, the Queen challenged his submission as well as the oath to affirm her relation to him as well as her royalty.
By this, the family tree of the two would be presented for scrutiny for the ultimate decision by the Council headed by the Asantehene.
Migration (Source: awua-domase.com)
Odumase was founded by Awuna Panyin [AwuaPanyin] a nephew of the Bantamahene- Bantama is near Kumasi- who had amassed great wealth in Gyaman and who, when he was due to succeed to the Bantama stool, left his town Awuna [Awua] in Gyaman with his people and thousands of slaves.
Reaching Sunyani, he found that it was impractical to take them all to Bantama and left them behind in the care of his nephew Kwasi Bosomtwe, and under whom they built the town of Odumase. After the 1730 war, the whole area between Odumase and Bantama came under the overlordship of the Bantamahene, in recognition of the help Bantama had given to the Asantehene.
