The Gbawe Kwatei Family issued an unequivocal rejection Wednesday of what it called fraudulent claims to family leadership, announcing that Nii Kpakpa Nkpa Quartey II stands as the sole legitimate Djaasetsɛ and Head of Family following a nomination dating to 2015.
Speaking at a media briefing at the Gbawe Chief’s Palace, family secretary Solomon Nii Afutu Quartey, PhD, declared that reports of an individual named Ayuba Kwatei Quartey installing himself as family head are “false, null, void and misleading.”
“No individual can assume or install himself as Head of Family while a legitimate predecessor is alive,” Quartey told reporters. “Furthermore, the said individual does not qualify under the customs and traditions of the Gbawe Kwatei Family to occupy such a position.”
The family also warned against a second claimant, described as an individual named Kojo allegedly from Kwanyarko in the Central Region, who has reportedly asserted installation as a Djaasetsɛ. Family officials said no such person is recognized within Gbawe.
Nii Kpakpa Nkpa Quartey II, privately known as Isaac Nii Laryea Quartey, was nominated on Feb. 10, 2015, by the late Nii Adam Kwatei Quartey in consultation with the Council of Principal Elders from the family’s six ruling houses. He began acting as head following the predecessor’s illness and has continued after the elder’s death this year.
The position of Djaasetsɛ was established in 1959 under Nii Kpakpa Badu, then family head, according to the briefing.
The family demanded that the public question any purported appointment, asking which principal elders allegedly made such a choice and from which recognized lineage within the six ruling houses they originate.
“No person or group outside the duly recognized Council of Principal Elders has the authority to appoint or install any individual into any family leadership position in Gbawe,” Quartey said.
The family recognized two legitimate authorities: Nii Kpakpa Nkpa Quartey II as Djaasetsɛ and family head, and Nii Boi Kojo II as Gbawe Mantsɛ.
The Gbawe State traces its foundation to Nii Guate I of the Asere Kpakpatsɛ We clan, with oral traditions citing origins in ancient Israel and migration through Ile-Ife to Ayawaso, the old Ga capital. The Kpakpatsɛ We clan divides into Hunters and Blacksmiths, foundational pillars of Ga society.
Family officials urged members and well-wishers to rally behind the new head and reaffirmed their commitment to peace and lawful governance.
By Kingsley Asiedu
