The sole arbiter in the Bimbilla chieftaincy dispute, Awoamefia of Anlo State, Togbe Sri III has assured factions in the Bimbilla chieftaincy dispute that he will not allow internal or external influence to affect the mediation process.
Togbe Sri gave the assurance when he met the factions separately at a meeting in Tamale on Wednesday.
The sole mediator has also called for the support and cooperation of the factions to ensure a smooth, transparent and successful process that will bring lasting peace to Nanum.
“I don’t entertain the least fear that I will not be able to resolve this problem. What I need is your cooperation and I can assure you here that during the tenure of deliberations, I will not allow myself to be influenced by anybody; either internal or externally. I will stand firm on my feet and make sure the right thing is done.”
“My sole aim is to bring peace to Nanum to leave a legacy for the generations unborn. I know and I believe that all of you here have already agreed that peace is what we are looking for and my main target and that of the president of Ghana is so much determined to see peace in Nanumba land.”
Meanwhile, the Andani royal family which had served notice of a boycott of the process in a press conference a day earlier citing political bias rescinded its decision and attended the meeting.
Both Factions pledged their cooperation to Togbe Sri, saying they are confident he will work to bring peace to Nanum.
Background
The decision over the legitimate chief of Bimbilla has been in dispute for many years.
The issue was put before the National House of Chiefs for arbitration.
The verdict of the chiefs was subsequently affirmed by the Supreme Court in 2018, declaring Naa Andani II as the legitimate chief of the area but this ruling has since hit a snag.
However, to resolve this dispute, President Nana Akufo-Addo announced that the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs in consultation with the Ministry of National Security have proposed customary mediators to resolve the chieftaincy issues.
This subsequently led to the appointment of Awoamefia of Anlo State, Togbe Sri III to lead the mediation process to help resolve the long-standing chieftaincy conflict in Nanum.
