Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, on Monday destooled the Apatrapahemaa, Oheneba Akyaa Panin III, after ruling that she was not of royal lineage and therefore not qualified to occupy the stool.
The decision ends her 24-year reign as Apatrapahemaa. The destoolment took place at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, where her traditional footwear was publicly removed following the ruling.
The case centred on a dispute over claims to the Bosom Prah Kumaa Stool. The Queen had argued that the stool rightfully belonged to her lineage, a claim strongly contested by the family of Nana Kwafo, the first chief to occupy the stool.
Representing the Kwafo family, Ama Agyeiwaa told the palace court that the Queen’s mother was not a blood relative but had joined the family as a caretaker, disqualifying her descendants from succession. She said the matter had been adjudicated several times over the years, including about two decades ago, with rulings consistently favouring the Kwafo family.
In his verdict, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said Apatrapa has no historical or genealogical links to the Bosom Prah Kumaa Stool. He traced the lineage of the stool and concluded that it did not include the destooled Queen’s family.
On the Apatrapa Stool itself, the Asantehene directed Maame Pomaa, who has long challenged the Queen’s legitimacy, to act as caretaker and to identify a suitable candidate for enstoolment in line with custom.
Source: Jonathan Ofori
