The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has destooled the Apatrapahemaa, Oheneba Akyaa Panin III, after ruling that she does not belong to the royal blo
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has destooled the Apatrapahemaa, Oheneba Akyaa Panin III, after ruling that she does not belong to the royal bloodline entitled to occupy the Apatrapa stool.
Her 24-year reign formally ended at the Manhyia Palace, where her royal sandals were publicly removed—a symbolic act in Asante custom that signifies official destoolment.
The decision follows a long-standing chieftaincy dispute over her claim to the Bosom Prah Kumaa royal lineage of Apatrapa.
After examining historical and customary evidence, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II concluded that her alleged connection to the stool was not supported by tradition or genealogy.
The family of Nana Kwafo, the first chief of Apatrapa, argued before the Asantehene that Oheneba Akyaa Panin III has no blood relationship to the recognised royal line.
According to them, her ancestors were originally accepted into the royal household as caretakers, not as members of the ruling dynasty.
They further explained that when the Apatrapa stool became vacant and no eligible male heir was immediately available from the royal family, the caretaker relatives assumed control of the stool, despite lacking hereditary rights.
In his ruling, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II upheld the claims of Nana Kwafo’s family, stating that the Apatrapa stool has no genealogical or customary link to the Bosom Prah Kumaa Stool and that the destooled queen mother therefore lacked legitimate standing.
The Asantehene has directed Maame Pomaa to take temporary custodianship of the Apatrapa stool while the appropriate traditional processes are initiated to select a qualified royal successor.
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