The Monarch of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has intimated that the proposed inclusion of queens in the House of Chiefs to have a say in decision-making processes goes against his customs and traditions.
His Majesty, in a speech on December 19, 2025, during a meeting of the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs noted that he will resist every effort to change the Asante custom.
“You can’t change my culture. I am Asantehene. With power, I founded Asante. I won’t let anyone change it. We must all understand.”
The Occupant of the Golden Stool further affirmed that the proposed law, if passed, cannot be binding on Asanteman.
“That law cannot be binding on us. It can be implemented elsewhere, not here. I will not implement it here. We will do our culture our way. Anyone who wants his culture influenced can allow it, but for my Asanteman, which is empowered by the Golden Stool, my culture is different and has nothing to do with the National House of Chiefs.”
Cultural Diversity
His Majesty also stated that customs differ across ethnic groups and tribes, and thereby a blanket law such as has been proposed cannot be imposed on all.
The diversity, His Majesty affirmed, is recognised under the Chieftaincy Act 2008 (Act 759) and the 1992 Constitution.
“Ghanaians must know that cultures differ across, as such, contravening laws cannot be enacted at the national level to be imposed on everyone. Our culture and tradition are different from others. They {National House of Chiefs} must be careful not to bother us with the statutory enactment…Some people practise a patrilineal culture, while ours is matrilineal. The National House of Chiefs, which has a diverse background of people, must be careful not to mix them up.”
“The Constitution states that the ‘institution of chieftaincy together with its traditional councils as established by customary law and usage is hereby guaranteed in the constitution.’ What is customary usage?”
Otumfuo thereby called for the appreciation of the existing diversity in customs.
There currently exist proposals from the National House of Chiefs to amend the Chieftaincy Act, 2008 (Act 759) to establish a Chamber of Queenmothers and include them in House of Chiefs sittings.
Story by Hajara Fuseini
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Source:
opemsuo.com