Peace Talks Between Adaklu DCE, Chiefs Fail

By Alberto Mario Noretti And Adaklu-Abuadi

PEACE talks scheduled between the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Adaklu, Mr Phanuel Donkor Kadey and the chiefs of the area, who are calling for his removal from office, ended in a stalemate, at Abuadi, on Tuesday.

The chiefs last month petitioned President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over what they described as the DCE's gross disrespect for traditional authorities and his despicable pronouncements towards them.

For instance, they cited an instance in July, this year, during the mid-year meeting of the traditional council to discuss pertinent issues in the district, which the DCE did not honour though he was invited, but he drove past the venue while the meeting was in progress.

The petition which was signed by Togbega Gbogbi Atsa V, President of the Adaklu Traditional Council, also said that the DCE recently made pronouncements on radio, which suggested that the chiefs lacked reasoning power as they were lavished with cash and material incentives from the assembly's Common Fund, in the past.

According to the chiefs, the DCE recently caused the arrest of the chief and elders of Adaklu-Wumenu in church for an 'illegal' speed ramp erected on the road by the youth of the community to check speeding vehicles.

The chiefs also said that the DCE wrote a letter in the name of the traditional authorities to the central government to stop an ongoing Spanish water project in the district, and falsely stated that it was the chiefs who had earlier carried out a demonstration against the execution of the project.

That false letter, they said resulted in bad blood between the chiefs and the citizens.

The Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, who convened the meeting, at the instance of the President, made a passionate appeal to the chiefs to forgive the DCE, and 'give him another chance,' although his conduct towards them was clearly not the best.

"This is a young man who is still learning and can be corrected and guided on the job," he added.

However, the chiefs took an entrenched position, and made it clear that they were no longer prepared to work with the DCE.

The DCE, who was present at the meeting was not given the opportunity to talk.

Finally, the Regional Minister and the chiefs agreed to meet at a later date over the matter.

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