The Volta Regional House of Chiefs (VRHC) has nullified the enstoolment of Roland Kofi Adiko as Paramount Chief of Tanyigbe, declaring that the paramountcy operates under a rotational succession system rather than being the exclusive preserve of a single clan. The judicial committee’s ruling, delivered March 21, 2025, represents a decisive conclusion to a chieftaincy dispute that began in 2017 following the death of longtime paramount chief Togbe Kwasi Adiko V.
The Akoto Royal House of Tanyigbe Traditional Area issued a statement on January 8, 2026, clarifying the committee’s judgment following a December 23, 2025 press release from Tanyigbe Traditional Council that had reaffirmed Roland Adiko’s legitimacy as Paramount Chief under the title Togbega Kodi Adiko VI. The Akoto family’s rejoinder emphasizes that the VRHC Judicial Committee found historical records, living memory and documentary evidence clearly establishing that rotation governs succession to the Tanyigbe paramountcy.
According to the committee’s findings, the Akotos of the Doku Dzehe clan within the Anyidoto clan were not caretaker chiefs but substantive paramount chiefs. The committee affirmed that the late Togbe Kwasi Adiko V, who ruled for approximately 64 years until his death in August 2015, legitimately succeeded Togbe Kwami Ekpe Akoto II. The judgment contradicted claims that the paramountcy belonged exclusively to the Kodivi clan’s Adiko family.
The judicial committee ruled that following Togbe Kwasi Adiko V’s death, the Anyidoto clan rather than the Kodivi clan was the appropriate lineage to present a candidate for the paramount stool under the rotational arrangement. Consequently, Roland Adiko, who was enstooled by the Kodivi clan, did not qualify under the rotation system and ought not to have been enstooled. His nomination, selection and enstoolment were declared null and void and formally set aside.
The committee further ruled that the Anyidoto clan had lawfully exercised its right within the rotational system by nominating and enstooling Togbe Etoi Kodzo II as Paramount Chief. The panel entered judgment in favor of the petitioners, with their claims succeeding in their entirety. The ruling also awarded costs of 20,000 cedis in favor of the petitioners. The judgment was signed by committee chairman Togbe Gbordzor III, with Togbe Adrakpanya VI, Togbega Sei II and Counsel Cephas Kwadzo Motey serving as members.
The chieftaincy dispute began shortly after Togbe Kwasi Adiko V’s burial in 2017, when both the Anyidoto and Kodivi clans installed separate individuals as paramount chief. The Anyidoto clan installed Wonder Kweku Akoto as Togbe Etoi Kodzo II, while the Kodivi clan installed Roland Kofi Adiko as Togbega Kodi Adiko VI. The dual installations triggered litigation that eventually reached the VRHC Judicial Committee for resolution.
Historical evidence presented during proceedings traced Tanyigbe’s paramountcy rotation back to the 1840s. According to testimony, Fiaga Etoi of the Anyidoto clan first occupied the elevated chieftaincy position between 1840 and 1896 when Tanyigbe moved from Ametsitsi level leadership to paramount chief status. Fiaga Goto Kosi of the Kodivi clan succeeded him, reigning until 1913 when Aku Ansa of the Anyidoto clan became the third paramount chief but died after three months.
Due to Aku Ansa’s brief tenure, the community agreed to select another heir from the Anyidoto clan, leading to installation of Fiaga Togbe Kwami Ekpe Akoto IV. His death in 1951 brought Fiaga Togbe Kwasi Adiko V from the Kodivi clan to power as the fifth paramount chief. Petitioners argued that this historical pattern demonstrated clear rotation between the two clans rather than exclusive Kodivi clan succession rights.
Roland Adiko and his kingmakers filed an appeal at the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi following the March 2025 ruling. The appeal hearing commenced December 9, 2025. Roland Adiko’s camp claims that filing the appeal automatically stays execution of the VRHC judgment under Section 34 of the Chieftaincy Act 2008 (Act 759), rendering it non binding while under appeal. The Tanyigbe Traditional Council’s December 23 statement affirmed this position, stating that Roland Adiko remains legitimate pending the National House of Chiefs decision.
However, the Akoto family’s legal team from Ayine and Partners Legal Consultants has argued that any claim of automatic stay of execution is unlawful. The lawyers contend that despite the pending appeal, the VRHC judgment remains valid and enforceable. The Anyidoto clan has called on Roland Adiko to refrain from holding himself out as paramount chief, warning that continued reference to him as chief or allowing him to lead in any capacity as paramount chief constitutes willful disobedience of a competent judicial committee’s orders and could constitute contempt.
The Anyidoto royal family raised concerns in September 2025 about Roland Adiko’s continued activities despite the nullification ruling. Togbe Adanu I, the Adanufia of Tanyigbe, told a press conference that on April 18 and 19, 2025, the Adiko family held ceremonies to reinstall Roland Adiko as paramount chief just weeks after the judicial committee’s ruling. He said Roland Adiko had also proceeded to install a new Sohefia (youth chief) despite Tanyigbe already having an individual in that position.
The Anyidoto family called on the Ho Municipal and Volta Regional security councils to ensure compliance with the VRHC judgment. Togbe Adanu said Tanyigbe’s development in roads, schools, water systems, community centers and other infrastructure had stalled due to the prolonged chieftaincy dispute. He urged authorities to take appropriate steps to enforce the judgment and restore orderly traditional governance to the area.
The Tanyigbe Traditional Council’s December 23 statement presented a contrasting narrative, describing the Kodi Stool as the ancient and paramount stool of Tanyigbe with lineage tracing to Notsie during the historic Ewe migration. The council stated that oral tradition and documented historical records attest to unbroken, non rotational succession of six paramount chiefs from the Kodivi Royal Clan’s Adiko Royal Family. The statement emphasized that the Kodi Stool has exercised supreme traditional authority over Tanyigbe’s four divisions for centuries.
The council acknowledged the pending appeal before the National House of Chiefs while maintaining that Roland Adiko was duly nominated, selected, confined and enstooled following Togbe Kwasi Adiko V’s death in strict accordance with Tanyigbe and Ewe customary practices. The statement described the process as involving full kingmaker participation and including all required rites such as oath swearing, sacred rituals and public outdooring.
Representatives of the Akoto Royal House, Etoi Kodzo family and Kagbe family challenged the December 23 statement in their January 8 rejoinder, describing it as inaccurate and misleading. They contended that the Traditional Council is not properly constituted and therefore lacks authority to issue official statements. Under established procedures, they explained, a Traditional Council only becomes fully operational after the paramount chief formally presents its members to the appropriate House of Chiefs for swearing in, followed by gazetting by the state.
The families noted that without sworn in members, no Registrar has been appointed by the state, meaning official Council business cannot lawfully commence. They called for verification of claims with the Volta Regional House of Chiefs to establish whether the paramount chief referenced in the statement is formally recognized by the statutory body. The families emphasized that the leadership matter remains before courts pending the National House of Chiefs appeal decision.
The verdict brings legal and customary clarity to the long running dispute while questions about enforcement and final resolution await the National House of Chiefs ruling. The case highlights tensions between traditional succession practices, historical interpretation and modern judicial processes in resolving chieftaincy controversies. As both sides await the appeal outcome, the dispute continues affecting Tanyigbe’s development and unity.
