The founder and leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Akwasi Addai Odike, has accused traditional authorities in Ghana, particularly chiefs in the Ashanti Region, of ruling their subjects without a vision.
According to him, most of the chiefs are only interested in the pride and pageantry that comes with being chiefs and do not have any plans to improve the livelihood of their subjects.
Odike accused the chiefs of selling off all the lands that have been entrusted to them to illegal miners whose activities are now endangering the lives of their subjects.
“The lives of your subjects are not important to you (the chiefs). You are only interested in selling our lands to enrich yourself. Akufo-Addo has only two years of his term as president left. He will not be president forever. But you, the chief, will be chief till you die, and all the destruction you are causing in the environment with the help of Akufo-Addo will be your burden.
“…When I become president, I will school you on leadership. You people (the chiefs) do not understand leadership. We don’t rule people by oppressing them. We rule with a vision. What is your vision? Tell us the vision you have for the Ashanti land.
“How can you call yourself leaders? People travel abroad and make money to come and bid to be chiefs. As they are bidding to become chiefs, all they think about is how they are going to sell lands to enrich themselves. Their mindset is to only sell land; they don’t think about what is going to happen to their grandchildren," he said in Twi in an Onua TV interview monitored by GhanaWeb.
He added that should he become president, he will review the country's land tenure so that chiefs will not have 100 percent ownership of lands under their jurisdiction.
The Kumasi Traditional Council, in August 2022, performed rituals to banish Odike for accusing Ashanti chiefs of condoning illegal mining.
According to the Kumasi Traditional Council, the businessman turned politician made inciteful statements that the Council deemed to be distasteful, unsubstantiated, and meant to dent the image of Manhyia.
Odike, in an interview on Oyerepa Radio, berated the chiefs for failing to help end the ‘galamsey’ menace.
He went ahead to urge the youth to rise and demonstrate against the chiefs if the traditional rulers fail to come clean on their roles in or stance against illegal mining.
Founder and leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Akwasi Addai Odike