The Nayiri, Overlord of Mamprugu, has formally rejected the mediation report on the Bawku chieftaincy dispute presented by the Asantehene to President John Dramani Mahama, describing the document as procedurally flawed, legally unsustainable and fundamentally inconsistent with the principles of mediation.
In a strongly worded statement issued by the Mamprugu Traditional Council on Wednesday, December 17, the Nayiri, Naa Bohagu Mahami Abdulai Sheriga, said he and the people of Mamprugu “formally and unequivocally” dissociate themselves from what he repeatedly referred to as a “so-called mediation report” submitted by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II in respect of the Bawku dispute.
“I must state clearly and without reservation that the so-called report and recommendations does not reflect my engagements with Otumfuo, nor those of my duly constituted mediation team. I therefore formally reject the report and recommendations in its entirety,” the Nayiri stated.
He argued that the document departs from the very foundation of mediation, stressing that Otumfuo himself had publicly described his role as that of a mediator and not an arbitrator. “Notwithstanding this, the document purports to pass judgment and to prescribe measures for enforcement—acts wholly inconsistent with the nature, limits, and essence of mediation,” the statement said.
According to the Nayiri, no agreed Terms of Reference were ever provided to guide the mediation process, despite repeated requests from Mamprugu’s mediation team. He said this ran contrary to expectations that both former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and President John Dramani Mahama would have clearly defined the scope of the exercise.
The Nayiri further complained that Mamprugu was denied the opportunity to engage with or respond to the conclusions said to have been reached. “At no point were the parties invited to engage with, comment on, or respond to the conclusions said to have been reached. If any deliberations occurred, they were conducted entirely without the knowledge, participation, or consent of Mamprugu,” he said.
He maintained that the report goes beyond recording areas of agreement or disagreement and instead substitutes the mediator’s personal views for the negotiating positions of the parties. “To do so is to abandon mediation and to assume an adjudicative role for which no jurisdiction exists,” the statement noted.
The Nayiri also alleged factual inaccuracies and bias, saying the report “appears calculated to cast Mamprugu in an unjust and unfavourable light,” while omitting Mamprugu’s case and good-faith concessions. He disclosed that concessions made by Mamprugu at the request of Otumfuo and later acknowledged by President Mahama were “rejected outright by the Kusasi side, without any attempt to move toward the middle ground that mediation demands.”
On the substance of the dispute, the Nayiri was emphatic that Mamprugu would not concede its heritage. “Not even an inch of Mamprugu’s ancestral heritage will be ceded to anyone, especially through an unjust and clearly orchestrated process,” he declared, adding that the mediation had ended in a “clear DEADLOCK, with no consensus reached between the parties.”
While reaffirming his personal commitment to peace, the Nayiri cautioned against what he described as imposed or procedurally defective outcomes. “As I have always maintained, I stand firmly for peace and shall continue to pursue that path. However, peace cannot and will not be built upon injustice,” he said.
He urged calm among his people, stating, “I entreat all within Mamprugu to continue to remain calm and law-abiding,” while insisting that any lasting solution to the Bawku chieftaincy dispute must be rooted in law, history, fairness and consent, not unilateral determinations.
The Nayiri said he was particularly alarmed by reports that government might adopt a definitive position within 24 hours based on the report, warning that such an approach “will not advance the peace we all seek.” He called on the President to engage fully with all parties and the mediator before taking any action.
Concluding the statement, the Nayiri said he would not remain silent in the face of what he termed a prejudicial process. “I will not remain passive in the face of what appears to be a carefully orchestrated process, conceived long before the commencement of mediation, and designed to prejudice Mamprugu,” he said, adding that further engagement with Otumfuo and the Government of Ghana would follow, alongside a more comprehensive statement in due course.
