BY Grace Zigah
The long-running Bawku chieftaincy dispute took a new turn on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, after the Overlord of the Mamprugu Traditional Area, the Nayiri, Naa Bohugu Mahami Abdulai Sheriga, formally rejected the mediation report submitted by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, describing the entire process as flawed, biased and unilaterally imposed.
In a strongly worded three-page statement issued by the Mamprugu Traditional Council, the Nayiri distanced himself and the Mamprusi people from the report that was presented to President John Dramani Mahama just a day earlier at the Jubilee House.
The report marked the conclusion of months of mediation efforts led by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to resolve the decades-old conflict between the Mamprusi and Kusasi factions over the Bawku skin in the Upper East Region.
According to the Nayiri, the document presented as a mediation report did not reflect his engagements with the Asantehene or the submissions made by his duly constituted mediation team.
He accused the mediator of abandoning the core principles of mediation and assuming the role of an arbitrator by making what he described as definitive judgments and enforcement prescriptions.
“I must state clearly and without reservation that the so-called report and recommendations do not reflect my engagements with Otumfuo, nor those of my duly constituted mediation team,” the Nayiri declared, insisting that mediation, by its nature, should not result in imposed outcomes.
He further revealed that throughout the process, no formal Terms of Reference were provided, despite repeated requests from the Mamprugu side.
The Nayiri said this omission undermined transparency and fairness and left his delegation unclear about the scope, limits and expected outcomes of the engagement.
He also expressed deep disappointment that neither party was given the opportunity to review, comment on or respond to the conclusions before the report was finalised and presented to the President.
“To say that I feel betrayed, disappointed and deeply hurt would be a grave understatement,” the statement read, alleging that the report was riddled with factual inaccuracies and reflected a manifest imbalance that favoured one side’s narrative while downplaying or omitting the Mamprugu historical position.
The Nayiri specifically rejected claims attributed to him in the report that suggested he had agreed to the continued recognition of Aninchema as Bawku Naba, describing such assertions as “entirely false” and misleading.
He warned that misrepresenting his position risked further inflaming tensions rather than calming them.
His rejection comes against the backdrop of President Mahama’s announcement that government would issue a definitive position on the mediation report within 24 hours of its submission.
The Nayiri cautioned that any swift executive action based solely on the disputed document would be counterproductive and could undermine the fragile peace efforts in Bawku.
“Such an approach, respectfully, will not advance the peace we all seek,” he stated, calling on the President to engage more broadly with all stakeholders before taking any decisions.
Reaffirming Mamprugu’s historical claim to Bawku, the Nayiri was emphatic that his people would not relinquish what he described as their ancestral heritage through a process he considers unjust.
“Not even an inch of Mamprugu’s ancestral heritage will be ceded to anyone, especially through an unjust and clearly orchestrated process,” he declared.
He maintained that the mediation had ended in what he described as a “clear deadlock,” with no consensus between the parties, and argued that under the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act, 2010, such an outcome should have been explicitly stated rather than converted into final recommendations.
The Bawku chieftaincy conflict, rooted in colonial-era administrative decisions and competing traditional authority claims, has remained one of the most intractable disputes, periodically erupting into violence and claiming lives over several decades.
Despite Supreme Court rulings, security interventions and political mediation attempts, the dispute continues to divide communities in the Upper East Region.
While rejecting the report, the Nayiri reiterated his commitment to peace and dialogue, stressing that any lasting solution must be anchored in law, history, fairness and mutual consent.
He indicated his readiness to continue engaging both Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and the government and signalled that a more detailed statement on Mamprugu’s position would be issued in due course.
“I remain fully committed to peace, dialogue and stability in Bawku and the wider Mamprugu area,” the Nayiri concluded, “but peace must not be built on imposed outcomes.”
