How Awulae Amihere Kpanyile III Brought Peace To W/R House Of Chiefs

**Awulae Amihere Kpanyile III, Omanhene of Atuabo**

A recent agreement among the Western Regional House of Chiefs (WRHC) has united its members. Nana Kobina Nketsiah V, Omanhene of Essikado, will serve as President. Nana Kwesi Agyemang, Omanhene of Lower Dixcove, will be Vice President.

Before this agreement, the House faced an election. Nana Kobina Nketsiah was the only candidate for President. Nana Kwesi Agyemang was also unopposed for Vice President. An injunction from Awulae Angamatuo Gyan II delayed their election.

To restore peace in the House, Awulae Amihere Kpanyile III made sacrifices. He led to a selection of five chiefs to represent the House at the National House of Chiefs (NHC). The House had been in disarray for four years due to litigation.

From 2020 to 2024, meetings were impossible because of legal disputes. These disputes arose from a controversial 2020 election that elected Tetretteh Okuamoah Sekyim as president and Angamatuo Gyan as vice president. The case lingered in court for four years before being nullified.

**Background**

On the day of the disputed election in 2020, a lawsuit challenged Awulae Amihere Kpanyile III's candidacy. This suit questioned his eligibility based on his name. Chiefs disagreed on whether he could still contest despite this lawsuit.

Ultimately, he was barred from running. This allowed Tetretteh Okuamoah Sekyim to be declared unopposed and elected alongside Angamatuo Gyan as vice president. Unsatisfied with this outcome, Amihere Kpanyile filed a Certiorari application in court.

Justice Hannah Taylor granted this application and ordered a new election. However, some chiefs appealed against her ruling before another judge, Justice Dr. Richmond Osei Hwere. They argued they hadn’t had a chance to present their case during the Certiorari application.

The judge ultimately quashed the presidential election but upheld Angamatuo Gyan’s vice presidency since it wasn’t part of the litigation. Following this decision, other chiefs filed another suit claiming there was no quorum during the original election.

The court ruled in favor of these plaintiffs and nullified all results from that election. Defendants sought a stay on execution but were denied by the court.

Due to ongoing legal battles, time ran out for new elections before their term ended in 2024-2028. As preparations began for fresh elections, Angamatuo Gyan filed another petition seeking an injunction against them due to his pending appeal.

This injunction halted any elections within the House and frustrated Amihere Kpanyile’s plans to run again. Justice Dr. Osei Hwere noted that challenges against him seemed designed to prevent his candidacy.

Despite receiving clearance from courts later on, Amihere Kpanyile chose not to run for president or NHC representation anymore. He withdrew from contention on November 14, 2024.

In his letter addressed to the Registrar, he expressed concerns about unity within the House and chieftaincy system health in the region. He requested that his name be removed from candidate lists and wished luck to remaining contestants.

Amihere Kpanyile's decision helped heal divisions within the House leading up to their successful agreement on leadership roles: Kobina Nketsiah as President and Kwesi Agyemang as Vice President.