Offinso Gets New Chief As Asantehene Ends Protracted Stool Tussle
Nana Amoako Poku, a 68-year-old royal of Offinso Ahyirem Royal Family has been named as the Offinsohene elect.
In a significant development at the final Asanteman Council meeting of 2023, held in Kumasi on Monday, December 18, 2023, Nana Amoako Poku, a 68-year-old royal from the Offinso Ahyirem Royal Family, has been named as the Offinsohene elect. The announcement was made in the absence of the Offinso Queen mother, marking the third instance of her inability to nominate a qualified royal for the vacant stool.
Presided over by Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the meeting addressed the longstanding vacancy of the Offinso stool. In the Queen mother’s absence, Kwakwaboa Abusuapanyin, Opanyin Yaw Nkrumah Adusah, following Asante tradition, presented Nana Amoako Poku as the nominee for the position of Offinsohene.
There was massive jubilation as Nana Amoako Poku was introduced to the Asantehene and the gathering as the Offinsohene elect. The nomination followed the rejection of Dr. Kofi Kodua Sarpong, a previous candidate presented by the Queen mother, on the grounds that he was not from the royal family.
Dr. Kofi Kodua Sarpong, a renowned figure and former Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), was absent at the meeting, along with a few of his supporters who quietly left following the announcement.
Nana Amoako Poku, recognized for his contributions as a curator of Asante heritage, a timber merchant, and the Otumfuo Kekabuosohene, now stands as the chosen candidate to occupy the revered Offinso stool. The Asantehene had, on previous occasions, given the Queen mother an opportunity to consult extensively with the royal family and nominate a qualified candidate.
Despite the guidance provided by the Asantehene regarding the historical and maternal relations from which the Queen mother could select a candidate, her persistence in nominating Dr. K.K. Sarpong led to the Kwakwaboa Abusuapanyin taking on the responsibility of nominating Nana Amoako Poku.