A conference was held between a delegation from the National Peace Council (NPC) and the Chiefs and Elders of the Somey Traditional Area.
The meeting was chaired by His Eminence Numo Blafo Akotia Omaetu III, who is a member of the National Peace Council’s governing board.
The purpose of the meeting that was presided over by Torgbi Adamah III, the Paramount Chief of the Somey Traditional Area, was to deliberate over the controversy that surrounded comments made by Archbishop Charles Agyinasare, the founder and general overseer of the Perez Chapel International, and to determine the most effective way to address the issue in the interest of preserving peace and unity.
Peace Council steps in to mediate Agyinasare-Nogokpo controversy
During a meeting that took place in the Perez auditorium in Accra, the Archbishop of Ghana referred to Nogokpo as the “demonic headquarters of the Volta Region.”
The inhabitants of Nogokpo and the wider Volta region were outraged by his words, and several of them resorted to various social media sites to criticise the revered cleric.
The chiefs and elders of the community have given the Archbishop a deadline of two weeks to retract his statements and deliver an apology to the community for the offence he has caused.
The time limit for the ultimatum has long since passed.
After the meeting, Torgbi Adamah reported to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that both the Peace Council and the Somey Traditional Council had expressed their willingness to address the matter through peaceful means.
“We have sent our viewpoint to the Peace Council, and we have entrusted the Peace Council with the responsibility of conveying that position to the Archbishop. The Somey Traditional Council has issued an ultimatum to the Archbishop, giving him a week to retract the contentious comment and issue an apology to the people of Nogokpo, the Somey Traditional Area, and the entire Volta area.
According to Torgbi Adamah, the Traditional Council had requested that its lawyers send an official letter to the Archbishop informing him of the council’s decision and attitude.
He made it clear that the Archbishop’s official receipt of the letter from the traditional council’s lawyers would mark the beginning of the countdown to the one-week deadline that had been issued.
In the event that the Archbishop does not comply with the traditional council’s demand for an apology, he stated that “the Somey Traditional Council would advise itself accordingly.”
The Paramount Chief made the observation that the people who lived in the Volta region have traditionally had a reputation for being untrustworthy.
“This should not have been a problem, but the fact that the people of the region have, over the years, been perceived as bad people, which has affected our marriages to people of other tribes and job opportunities, the Archbishop should not have uttered those comments in the first place,” she said.
He is a well-respected and seasoned man of God who ought to be working to bring people together rather than making statements that would divide them. We are not in the least bit pleased with this situation, and he needs to issue an apology in order to put an end to it. Torgbi Adamah stated.
Numo Blafo Akotia Omaetu III expressed his gratitude to the Somey Traditional Council for the kind reception and understanding they provided.
He gave his word that the Peace Council would do everything in its power to make sure the conflict was settled amicably in the interest of maintaining harmony and peaceful coexistence.
The Reverend Seth Kwesi Mawutor, who serves as Chairman of the Volta Regional Peace Council, was one of the attendees at the meeting. There were also other members of the Peace Council.