The President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has denied ever knowing Nii Adote Otintor, claimant to the Sempe Stool as Chief, throughout his professional life as a lawyer.
According to the President, he served as a lawyer for the Sempe Stool but never came to know any Sempe Chief as Otintor.
The President who was speaking at the wake keeping of the funeral rites of the Late Lawyer Nelson Cofie, in a recorded message on October 5, 2018 at the wake-keeping night for the late Nelson Coffie held at Korle Gonno near St Mary’s Senior High School at korle Gonno in Accra.
Speaking in the Ga Language, the President stated categorically and factually that he was hearing it for the first time in his life, that Sempe has a chief by name Otintor and that notwithstanding that, he is closely related to the funeral through his wife, the first lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo hence “time will tell.”
In an Audio Recorded audio, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo said, Quote…. “”Are you the Sempe Mantse? Are you the one they have installed as Sempe Mantse? How come they have installed you as Sempe Mantse and I don’t know you”
He continued to say that, “All the land of Sempe, I am the one who served as lawyer for those cases up to the Appeals court and in all my life serving in my name as counsel for and with the Sempe stool and I never knew you at all till today. So how come you claim to be the Sempe Mantse?”
The president who was also surprised to hear Otintor as being the chief of the area expressed shock and said, “ I am surprise, you are claiming to be the Sempe Mantse and I don’t know you. But all the same its OK. This funeral is my funeral. Nelson Cofie.””””
Meanwhile, the Legitimate Sempe Stool elders and families said they are appealing to the President of the National House of Chiefs, Togbe Afede to take the President statement on this recorded voice which he make in public very serious and act according to ensure that all efforts being made by the said Otintor to be gazetted be thrown out of the National House of chiefs and nullified as the court ruled in suit number AP 69/ 2014 by Justice Paul Dery of the high court ,that Otintor is not a chief of Sempe and has since that judgment not been appealed against it. The family further stated that they will be ready to appear before him and make it known to him that he is not the chief anytime they are invited.
They averred that all the documents that Otintor is using for which he is claiming authority over the Stool are all invalid since, Nii Adotey Obuor II whom he claimed have sold or relinquished the throne to him is dead.
Dzasetse of Sempe Divisional Council, Nii Adotei Cudjoe said the family must install a new chief and that the President of the National House of Chiefs, Togbe Afede V, must take caution from the President’s comments about Otintor and ensure that his gazette and initiation into the National House of chiefs does not ever happen. Since this could result in long lasting clashes in the Sempe stool Affairs.
He said Nii Moi Alotei Brown who parades himself as Sempe Chief under the stool name, Nii Adote Otintor but he was not installed as chief of Sempe but he is an imposter since 2008 carrying himself a such.
Nii Adotei Cudjoe further stated that Sempe Stool functionaries do not recognize OTINTOR as the Chief of Sempe.
Nii Adotei Cudjoe also stated that the National House of Chiefs Declaration Forms, C.D Forms which is purported to have been filled by OTINTOR at the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs at Dodowa is fake , forged and without merit.
The Acting Dzasetse of Sempe Stool averred that one Nana Alorh, President of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, was the one who muted for the adoption of OTINTOR’s CD forms at the National House of Chiefs.
The Sempe Stool functionaries appealed to Togbe Afede that although OTINTOR fraudulent Gazette processing has reached the Advanced Committee stages at the National House of chiefs in Kumasi, they are alerting Togbe Afede not to be pushed to endorse that particular gazette of OTINTOR because it is a fake and forged document making claims that he has been endorsed by the three family Elders that constitute the Sempe Stool.
The Acting Dzasetse of Sempe noted that some chiefs and government officials who are supporting OTINTOR are seriously persuading Togbe Afede to get the said OTINTOR registered as the Chief of Sempe although Sempe stool Elders never elected or nominated him to be their Chief.
Readers would recall that OTINTOR’S father is still a sub-chief of Manponse , a small quarter at Agege in Dansoman, under the jurisdiction of the Sempe Stool therefore his son, Nii Moi Allotei Brown be a Paramount Chief over his father,
They are however happy that the President declared publicly that Nii Otintor is not a chief of Sempe.
By: KAY A. KRAH