GHC 70,000 bribery Hits House Of Chiefs Elections During Elections

Whatsup News has gathered from reliable sources within the National House of Chiefs (NHC) that their recent elections to select national executives were fraught with massive bribery of a staggering GHC 70,000 each to a significant number out of the 72 chiefs in the House.

The exact number of chiefs that were bribed is not known, but our sources tell of how Chiefs were taking pictures of their thump print as evidence of their voting pattern to be shown their paymasters reportedly from the Akufo Addo administration.

Indeed, the issue of bribery is so endemic that during the November 12, 2020, General Meeting of the NHC before the commencement of elections, the outgoing President of the council of powerful chiefs in Ghana, Togbe Afede XIV, warned the Chiefs from the alleged bribes they have reportedly received.

In his speech that has been made public, Togbe Afede XIV chided the chiefs, saying: “Nananom, let us be reminded today that money was not part of the qualifying requirements for membership of this august House, and money certainly should not be the influencing consideration for electing its leadership. Let us resist the temptation….so that when we speak about corruption, Ghanaians will not tell us to purge ourselves before pontificating.”

According to Togbe Afede, he has noticed the inundation of social media with allegations of the reported bribery cases and has refused to respond to the plethora of inquiries directed at him. 

“Nananom, the mainstream media and social media are awash with unprecedented allegations of external forces trying to influence some members of this House with money to determine the outcome of the election of its leadership. I decided not to respond to the numerous media houses calling to verify the truth or otherwise in these allegations,” Togbe Afede confirmed the tightening nose around the chiefs at the NHC over possible monetary influence over their choice of new executives as was witnessed last week.

“This conscious refusal to speak to the media on the matter is based on my avowed commitment to protecting the image of this House. The National House of Chiefs must not be a house of jokers, where people can sit outside and interfere in its activities by throwing money around. We are an assemblage of great and noble men of custom and tradition, bonded in this noble apex House as custodians of our time-tested culture and tradition.” Togbe Afede XIV said in his remarks during the election.

Shortly after his revealing statement, Togbe Afede XIV was unseated as the President of the NHC. That position was won by the Paramount Chief of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area, Ogyeahohoo Yaw Gyebi II, 

The Seventy-year-old Ogyeahohoo Gyebi II polled 47 out of the 72 total valid votes cast while Togbe Afede XIV polled 25.

Also, the incumbent Vice-President of the House, Daasebre Kwebu Ewusi VII, also lost to the Paramount Chief of Lawra Traditional Area, Naa Puowele Karbo III.

Incidentally, Ogyeahohoo Gyebi II is a board member of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and he was one of the members on the board instrumental for the arm-twisting of GNPC to gift the Okyenhene Amoatia Ofori Panyin, some GHC 2 million between 2018 and 2019 to celebrate his 20th Anniversary and to allegedly plant some trees.

Curiously, the Okyenhene Amoatia Ofori-Panyin is directly related to President Akufo Addo and he is the Chief of President Akufo Addo’s hometown, Kyebi.

The Okyenhene himself has been recently fingered for trying to influence the composition of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs to impose himself and his loyalists as key members of that house.