The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has ruled that Obaapanin Amponsah Boah II’s position as Queen of Bechem-Tanoso is null and void, effectively rendering the stool vacant.
The decision was delivered at the Kumasi Traditional Council on March 10, 2025, following a committee review of a longstanding dispute over her legitimacy.
The dispute, which had been pending for years, was originally raised by the late family head of Bechem-Tanoso, Opanyin Aboagye Pesewu.
After his passing, his successor, Opanyin Adusa Yeboah, continued to pursue the case, arguing that Obaapanin Boah was never a legitimate queen but only served as a proxy to the late Obaapanin Adwoa Takyiwaa.
The complainants maintained that Boah was selected in 2005 to act on behalf of Takyiwaa, who had become incapacitated after an accident.
However, Boah insisted that she had been enstooled as a legitimate queen in 1999 as the rightful successor to Obaapanin Yaa Kra.
After extensive investigations, the committee determined that Obaapanin Adwoa Takyiwaa herself was only a proxy to Obaapanin Kra and had no rightful claim to the stool.
Consequently, Boah’s assertion of being a legitimate queen was deemed false, as she had only been acting in Takyiwaa’s stead.
A key finding was that the late Bechem-Tanoso Chief, Nana Asare Baffour, who passed in 2017, had never presented Obaapanin Boah to the Asantehene for formal recognition—an essential step in legitimizing her authority.
The entire Kumasi Traditional Council unanimously upheld the committee’s report.
Delivering his ruling, Otumfuo stated that since Takyiwaa was not a legitimate queen, her rulership—and by extension, Boah’s—was invalid.
He emphasized that Asante tradition dictates that once Kra passed away, Takyiwaa’s role should have ended unless proper rites had been performed to officially transfer power.
His Majesty also criticized Bechem-Tanoso’s elders for failing to consult Manhyia over the years, leading to a lack of adherence to traditional protocols.
As a result, he has placed a temporary suspension on the enstoolment of a new queen, declaring that the matter rests with him for the time being.
However, Otumfuo has directed that a suitable candidate for the vacant male stool be selected immediately.
He instructed the elderly women of the royal lineage to choose their preferred candidate, after which the family head will oversee the necessary traditional rites for installation.
This ruling marks a significant turning point in Bechem-Tanoso’s chieftaincy affairs, as the community awaits further directives from the Asantehene regarding the future of its female stool.
