Fresh Chieftaincy Clashes Brewing In Anlo

…After Installation of New ‘King & Queen’

There are simmering fresh chieftaincy troubles brewing in the Anlo State of Volta Region, which if not handle with utmost tact, could degenerate into a longstanding dispute as erupted somewhere in 2007 during the installation of Awoamefia, The Anchor can report.

This follows, the installation of a certain legal practitioner known in private life as, Ephraim Agbeko Vordoagu, as the new “King” of the Anlo State, and Ms Confidence Haugen, owner of popular Aphrodisiac Night Club in Accra, as “Queen” of Anlo.

The two were said to have been installed by some selected elders and kingmakers of the Anlo State, without the full blessings of Togbui Sri III, the incumbent Awomefia (ruler) of the Anlo State.

The new King, is said to have been taken through necessary traditional rites and installed under the Stool name, Dutor Torgbiga Wenya III. His role, according to our information, is to serve as the head of the Leafe Clan of Anlo, the Founder of the Anlo Kingdom and would be the head of Anlo Land.

The Ewe State of Anlo is headed by the Awoamefia, who is the traditional political and spiritual leader of the Anlos. The first Awoamefia, Togbui Sri I, instituted a system of selecting rulers in alternating fashion from the Adzovia and Bate clans. Legends have it that, he wanted to ensure that his successor would be Adeladza of the Bate clan instead of a member of his own Adzovia clan. He did this to reward Adeladza for successfully recovering the Awoamefia stool from King Agorkorli II, of Notsie

Confidence Haugen, on the other hands, was also installed as Mamaga Abui Buiekpor II, and would serve at the highest female-led office of the Anlo Kingdom. She reportedly hails from the Tovi clan.

But, even before the installation, the indigenes are enraged over the development, as they questioned the motive behind the installations.

The Anchor is informed that the people of Anlo are unhappy with the two candidates, because they are not known in the area, and have also not been involved in any developmental activities of Anlo in the past.

Ms Confidence Haugen, for example, they said, is not qualified for the position because, she had already been installed as queen mother, elsewhere, and should not have been chosen.

They argued that the titles; “King” and “Queen” of Anlo is questionable and they do not exist in the Anlo culture. According to them, the Awoame-Zi which the “Awoamefia” occupies is the highest stool in the Anlo land, so there can’t be any title like the ‘King’ of Anlo superior to the Awoamefia.

Insiders have hinted that, the new ‘King’ could be deliberately installed in order to undermine the authority and supremacy of the Awomefia, following certain actions of his.

The process of choosing a supreme leader for the Anlo State, this paper learnt, is that all the 36 states forming the Anlo kingdom needed to be consulted to confirm a chosen candidate for the occupation of the Awoame-Zi.

Claims are that, Torgbui Sri sits on a different stool which comes from the Tado Kingdom in Hogbe, whereas Torgbiga Wenya’s stool originated from Dogbo Nyigbo in Adele in Hogbe. However, the confusion is compounded by claims that Torgbui Sri will continue to be the Awoamefia of Anlo, whilst Torgbui Wenya maintains his position as the ‘Dutor’ (the founder) of the Anlo State.

This paper has gathered that, this is not the first time Togbui Sri’s authority has come under some sort of attack.

It would be recalled that, not long ago, some irate indigenes of the Anglo State have filed a lawsuit to challenge the eligibility of the Awomefia of the Anlo State, Togbui Sri III, to be king of Anlo.

Somewhere in 2020, they again challenged his eligibility to contest an election to represent the Volta Regional House of Chiefs at the national level.

At the time, Togbui Sri III was part of 11 chiefs vying for five slots to represent the Region as members of the National House of Chiefs.

But some three indigenes of the Anlo State, namely Amega Andrew Atsu Kokor, Amega Albert Kwaku Kume and Amega Wisdom Atiasa Kukubor, insist that he is not the right person to be on the throne, hence does not have the right to present himself for election into the National House of Chiefs.

They argue that Togbui Sri III, known in private life as COP Patrick Agbogba, is not an indigene of the Anlo land, and also not a member of the family that should lead the Anlo State as a chief.

The suit, therefore, among other things, was seeking to bar Togbui Sri from participating in the upcoming elections.

They also insisted that a number of cases are pending in court challenging the eligibility of Togbui Sri, hence it will be wrong to allow him to contest for the National House of Chiefs position.

They were thus seeking “a declaration that [Togbui Sri III] is unfit to be made President of the Volta Region House of Chiefs, since he is facing several charges contemptuous of court.”

They also wanted an order of perpetual injunction to restrain the Volta Regional House of Chiefs from allowing Togbui Sri to contest “any election for the purpose of becoming President or any executive position in the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, as he is not the Awomefia of the Anlo State.”

This calls to question what went into selecting the current occupant of the revered Stool in the first place, if all the emerging allegations levelled against Sri III are true; what about the kingmakers who might have taken him through the lengthy ‘legitimate’ process of becoming the Awoame-Fia?

Lawyer for the plaintiffs, Captain Nkrabeah Effah Dartey, Rtd., in a Citi News interview, said the Volta Regional House of Chiefs and Togbui Sri III will both be acting in contempt should the chief be allowed to participate in the pending elections.

“From 1998 till date, the stool has not been occupied because of problems. One person calling himself Patrick Agbogba a former Commissioner of Police is pretending to be the new Awomefia, but unfortunately, he doesn’t come from the Royal Ajovia clan.”

“His mother is from Akatsi and his father from Hohoe, and so he is not an indigene from Anloga. According to my clients, he is not qualified to be the Awomefia, so the royals; three clans selected somebody who they have enstooled to be the Awomefia,” he said.