The Queenmother of Akyem Osenase, Obaapanin Acheampomaa II, has publicly declared that there is currently no chief occupying the Osenase stool, urging residents and the wider public to disregard anyone claiming authority as chief of the town.

The development comes after an embattled non-royal claimant  Asafo Agyei reportedly swore as Chief of Osenase to the Okyenhene last week. 

Addressing a press conference amid an escalating chieftaincy dispute in the Eastern Region, the queenmother insisted that the traditional process for selecting a successor to the late chief has not yet begun, as funeral rites for the deceased occupant of the stool remain incomplete.

“I have not selected any chief yet. Until we complete the funeral rites of the late chief, we cannot begin the process of installing a new chief or successor,” she stated.

The declaration comes against the backdrop of a long-running dispute over attempts to install Nana Boakye Asafo Agyei as chief of Osenase, a move fiercely opposed by sections of the royal family and principal stool elders.

Obaapanin Acheampomaa II, who is regarded as the most senior royal within the Odau–Etwereso–Osenase ruling Ofosu-Pema Aduana Royal Family, maintained that no legitimate chief currently exists in Osenase and warned residents against recognising any individual purporting to occupy the stool.

“I want to state publicly today that anyone holding himself out as the chief of Osenase should be disregarded because he is not the legitimate chief of the land,” she said.

The queenmother further asserted that all major decisions affecting the community would continue to be taken by herself and the recognised elders until the appropriate customary processes are completed.

“Do not listen to anybody. All major decisions will come from me and my elders. There is already an injunction in place. The so-called chief who was smuggled into the community at night is not the legitimate chief of the land,” she added.

According to her, when the time comes to select a new chief, the community will be formally informed and the requisite customary rites performed before any successor is publicly outdoored.

“For now, there is no chief in Osenase,” she stressed.

The latest declaration adds another chapter to a dispute that has generated tensions within Osenase and the wider Akyem area in recent months.

In April, the West Akim Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) ordered the indefinite suspension of a planned installation ceremony for Nana Boakye Asafo Agyei, citing security concerns and intelligence suggesting the possibility of unrest. The council's directive followed opposition from the Royal Ofosu-Pema Aduana Family and principal stool elders, who argued that customary procedures had not been followed and that no stool vacancy had been declared.

The royal family also maintained that the queenmother had not nominated any successor and that principal kingmakers had not endorsed any candidate for the stool.

The controversy deepened when attempts were allegedly made to proceed with the installation despite the suspension order and a court injunction, leading to heightened security deployment in the town and the arrest of Nana Boakye Asafo Agyei during the disputed event.

At the centre of the dispute are allegations by the queenmother and the Ofosu-Pema Aduana Royal Family that Nana Boakye Asafo Agyei does not belong to the royal lineage eligible to occupy the Osenase stool, a claim his supporters reject.

The dispute has also widened existing tensions between the Odauman and the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council, with the Osenase stool succession issue becoming a major point of contention in recent months.

With the queenmother now publicly reaffirming that the stool remains vacant and that no successor has been selected, the chieftaincy impasse in Osenase appears far from resolved.