The Judicial Committee of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs has confirmed Nene Amanatey Korle III as the legitimate chief of Bedeku, settling a long-standing chieftaincy dispute between the Amanatey Korle and Sogborjor families in Ada East.
In a unanimous seven-page ruling delivered before both claimants in open court, the four-member panel of the Committee declared the Amanatey Korle family as the rightful heirs to the Bedeku stool. The decision effectively overturned a 2020 ruling by the Ada Traditional Council, which had recognized Nene Amadeku Ahuahey II of the Sogborjor family as chief.
Delivering the judgment, Magistrate Alexander Essien noted that the Ada Traditional Council erred in its ruling, particularly given the overwhelming evidence showing that the Amanatey Korle family had, since the Gold Coast era, consistently nominated candidates for the Bedeku stool without protest.
The Committee cited records indicating that Nene Amanatey Korle III has served as chief of Bedeku since 1987 and that the Sogborjors themselves had previously paid homage to him, only introducing a rival claimant in 2020.
“The defendants did not dispute during cross-examination that the Amanateys have historically chosen occupants of the stool,” the judgment stated. “Their later argument that the family’s role was that of herdsmen does not stand against the weight of historical and testimonial evidence.”
The Committee further referenced similar judgments in higher courts in Ghana to support its position, stressing that tradition and historical precedent clearly affirm the Amanatey Korle family’s entitlement to the stool.
Counsel for the Amanatey family, Paa Joy Ekuamoah Boateng, expressed satisfaction with the ruling and appealed to the Committee to waive legal costs in order to foster peace in Bedeku and the Ada East Traditional Area.
The ruling brings to an end years of legal contest and is expected to restore stability in the community, where the parallel claims had fueled tension and uncertainty.
