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Kwame Nkrumah Never Liked Ashantis – Otumfuo
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has disclosed that, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana did not like the people of the Ashanti Region.
Speaking at the first Asanteman Council Meeting for the year at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi on Monday, the overlord of the Asante Kingdom acknowledged that, even though Nkrumah did not like them [Asantes], he carved the Bono Ahafo region out of Western Ashanti.
He said, the new region Nkrumah created at that time, did not alter the existence of the traditional arrangement, therefore, the creation of the Bono region cannot affect the traditional autonomy of the Asante Kingdom.
He indicated that the authority and autonomy of Asanteman has never been in dispute, adding, new political-administrative regions do not alter existing traditional arrangements.
Otumfuo noted that similar moves in the colonial and post-independence era could not alter the already existing Asanteman.
He, however, stated emphatically that, no chief should consider the existing arrangement null, due to the creation of new regions.
The Asanteman Council is an assembly of paramount chiefs from Ashanti, Bono East and Bono regions that pay homage to the Golden Stool. Other chiefs are from the Ahafo, Eastern, Western, Western North and Oti regions.
“Government recently created the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions. Before this, a similar incident happened during the regime of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. He carved the Bono Ahafo region out of Western Ashanti.
“Even Kwame Nkrumah, who didn’t like us at that time, acknowledged that the creation of new regions was not meant to alter existing traditional arrangements and that the creation of new regions was to facilitate development at the local level and also promote governance.
“The creation of Bono Ahafo didn’t mean all chiefs who hitherto paid allegiance to the Golden Stool could not do so,” he said.
