Peace Council steps in to mediate Agyinasare-Nogokpo controversy

A delegation from the National Peace Council (NPC) led by His Eminence Numo Blafo Akotia Omaetu III, a member of the council’s governing board, has held a meeting with the Chiefs and Elders of the Somey Traditional Area.

The meeting chaired by Torgbi Adamah III, Paramount Chief of the Somey Traditional Area, was to deliberate over the controversy which surrounded comments made by Archbishop Charles Agyinasare, founder and general overseer of the Perez Chapel International, and to see how best to address the issue in the interest of peace and unity.

The Archbishop during a summit at the Perez auditorium in Accra, described Nogokpo as the “demonic headquarters of the Volta Region.”

His comments infuriated the people of Nogokpo and the larger Volta region, some of whom took to various social media platforms to criticize the respected clergyman.

The chiefs and elders of the town issued a two-week ultimatum to the Archbishop to withdraw his comments and render an apology to the people.

The ultimatum has long elapsed.

Torgbi Adamah told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after the meeting that both the Peace Council and the Somey Traditional Council had agreed to resolve the issue amicably.

“We have communicated our position to the Peace Council, and have tasked the council to communicate that position to the Archbishop. The Somey Traditional Council is giving the Archbishop a week’s ultimatum to withdraw the controversial comment and render an unqualified apology to the people of Nogokpo, the Somey Traditional Area and the entire Volta region.

Torgbi Adamah said the Traditional Council had asked its lawyers to officially write to the Archbishop of the council’s decision and position.

He clarified that the one-week ultimatum would start from the day the Archbishop officially received the letter from the traditional council’s lawyers.

He said should the Archbishop fail to heed the traditional council’s demand for an apology, “the Somey Traditional Council would advise itself accordingly.”

The Paramount Chief noted that there had always been a negative perception about the people of the Volta region.

“This should not have been an issue, but the fact that the people of the region have over the years been perceived as bad people, affecting our marriages to other tribes and job opportunities, the Archbishop should not have uttered those comments in the first place.

“He is a respected and experienced man of God who should be uniting people and not passing divisive comments. He must render an apology to bring this matter to rest – we are not happy with this at all,” Torgbi Adamah said.

Numo Blafo Akotia Omaetu III, showed appreciation to the Somey Traditional Council for the warm reception and understanding.

He assured of the Peace Council’s commitment to ensuring that the issue was resolved amicably in the interest of harmony and peaceful coexistence.

Some members of the Volta regional Peace Council, including its Chairman, Rev. Seth Kwesi Mawutor, were present at the meeting.