Do not tarnish your legacy - Okuapehemaa cautions Sophia Akuffo amid enstoolment reports

Sophia Akuffo is cautioned against a reported enstoolment as Mmrahene of the Akuapem Traditional Area, according to a statement released on Monday by the Office of the Okuapehemaa, Nana Afua Nketiaa Obuo II. The Okuapehemaa's office said it had taken notice of publications announcing that the former Chief Justice was expected to be enstooled on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. The statement stressed that the release was not intended to attack the former Chief Justice but to preserve the sanctity of Akuapem custom and prevent respected public figures from becoming entangled in unresolved traditional disputes.

The statement said the ceremony is expected to be conducted by Odehye Kwadwo Kesse, who continues to hold himself out as Okuapehene under the stool name Oseadeeyo Nana Kwasi Akuffo III despite court rulings challenging his legitimacy. The Okuapehemaa's office argued that Odehye Kwadwo Kesse was purportedly enstooled without following procedures outlined by the Judicial Committee of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs on April 30, 2020. Contempt proceedings were later initiated against Odehye Kwadwo Kesse and Lily Agyemang at the High Court in Koforidua, and both individuals were convicted of contempt and fined GH¢10,000 each.

The statement noted that an application for certiorari filed at the Supreme Court to quash the High Court ruling was unanimously dismissed on February 20, 2024, affirming the High Court's jurisdiction and leaving the contempt conviction intact. The Okuapehemaa's office urged Justice Sophia Akuffo to exercise restraint over the purported enstoolment, stating, "It is therefore our respectful view that Her Ladyship ought not