The Paramount Chief and President of the Avenor Traditional Council in the Volta Region, Togbega Dorglo Anumah VI, has urged the Chairman of the Council of State, Edward Doe Adjaho, and Togbui Samlafo IV to help promote unity.
During an emergency press conference at the Akatsi South District Assembly Hall, Togbega Anumah VI stated that Togbui Samlafo IV is a sub-chief who serves under the Amegavieso Stool, which is the Right Wing Senior Divisional Stool of the Avenor Traditional Council.
However, he lamented that the resolve and unity of the chiefs and people of Avenor are being tested by the same actors who, for over a decade, have attempted to destabilize the established traditional structure.
“Today, we must take decisive action. It is time to bring closure to this matter and consign it permanently to the dustbin of history. On Friday, 2nd May 2025, I received a letter from a sub-committee of the National House of Chiefs.
“The committee has been tasked with examining a petition regarding the alleged elevation of Togbui Samlafo IV to the status of a Paramount Chief,” he said.
The chief recalled that in December 2014, Togbui Samlafo IV violated the protocol of the Avenor Traditional Council by attending a ceremony reserved solely for the three major Wing Chiefs, and was rightfully denied entry.
“Following this incident, Hon. Edward Doe Adjaho, then Speaker of the 7th Parliament, declined an invitation to a traditional council ceremony.
“Since then, he has openly supported Togbui Samlafo IV in his self-declared claim as ‘Paramount Chief’ of the Atsyame clan, a title allegedly conferred upon him by Togbui Sri III—an action that is both illegal and unprecedented,” he noted.
But the chief maintained that there are no “clan Paramount Chiefs” within the Avenor Traditional Area.
“Togbui Samlafo IV is a sub-chief who serves under the Amegavieso Stool, which is the Right Wing Senior Divisional Stool of the Avenor Traditional Council.
“Togbewo, Mamawo, permit me to now present the key reasons why we strongly oppose the purported elevation of Togbui Samlafo IV,” he explained.
He has vowed that the Council will not permit the elevation of Togbui Samlafo IV to the status of Paramount Chief.
“To do so would be as absurd as allowing a foreign institution to redraw the borders of Ghana without the consent of the Ghanaian people. We will resist this agenda with every lawful means at our disposal. We will defend the integrity of our traditional territory,” he added.
Announcing plans to petition the Presidency, he mentioned that President John Mahama had assured that such an elevation would never take place—but barely four months into his new administration, the agenda appears to be unfolding.