Katamanso has no new regent — Head of family

The Family Head of the Afotey Agbo Royal Ruling House of Katamanso, Mr J. O. Laryea, has denied media reports that a new regent has been installed at Katamanso.

He said it had come to the notice of the family that a group of people made it public that since the substantive chief of Katamanso, Nii Otu Akwetey IX, had been indisposed since 2009, a new regent had been installed.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic in an interview in Accra yesterday, Mr Laryea said a letter requesting for a regent was sent to him by the Paramount Chief of Nungua, Nii Odaifio Welentsi III.

He said in the said letter, dated April 9, 2015, the Nungua Chief mandated him, Mr Laryea, to nominate candidates for screening for the position of regent for Katamanso as custom demanded.

Mr Laryea said no one had been nominated yet and the publication of the installation of a new regent for Katamanso by one Nii Joshua Kwei Odai was false.

According to him, the said Nii Odai had no authority to install a regent at Katamanso as purported in the said publication and his claim as the head of the Nii Mantse Adjin-We of Nungua was not a true reflection of the situation on the ground.

He said as indicated by the “Request for Regent” letter addressed to him mandating him to nominate candidates for the regent of Katamanso, “my position as the undisputed Family Head of Adjin-We of Katamanso and the Nii Afotey-Agbo Royal Ruling House of Katamanso was recognised and affirmed and by implication I am the only person mandated to nominate candidates for regency.”

He, therefore, advised the public to treat the installation of Mr Ebenezer Nii Mensah Laryea as Katamanso Regent as being without merit and should be ignored and disregarded.

Katamanso is one of the principal villages under the Nungua Stool and the chief of the village is an automatic member of the Nungua Traditional Council who performs many functions for the Nungua Traditional Area.

The incapacitation of Nii Akwetey has rendered the Katamanso seat in the council vacant. This is creating an unpleasant situation for the council and the village.

In view of the customary and legal powers conferred on King Welentsi III, he mandated Mr Laryea to nominate two candidates and bring them before the paramount chief and his elders to be screened and one selected as a regent until the substantive chief recovered from his ailment.