I Never Styled Myself Paramount Chief of Eastern Nzema (Awulae Blay IX)

 

Court Document Raises Questions Over Awulae Blay IX’s Claim to Paramountcy of Eastern Nzema

ATUABO, WESTERN REGION — A court document cited by sources in an ongoing chieftaincy dispute in the Eastern Nzema Traditional Area has brought renewed attention to the status and role of Awulae Blay IX within the traditional council.

According to the document, Awulae Blay IX, in an affidavit, is quoted as saying that he “never acted or styled myself as the Paramount Chief of Eastern Nzema or the role of President of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Council.”

The affidavit further states that he could not perform or assume the role of President of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Council because, according to his position in the document, membership of the Traditional Council is subject to gazette notification and entry into the National Register of Chiefs.

The statement has generated questions because Awulae Blay IX has, in several public engagements, been identified by state institutions and media organisations as the Paramount Chief of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Area and President of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Council.

Awulae Blay IX’s installation

Public records show that Awulae Blay IX was formally enstooled as the Omanhene of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Council at the Royal Family House in Atuabo on Sunday, July 21, 2024. He succeeded Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli III, who had been traditionally destooled on Friday, June 12, 2024, following allegations of misconduct and incompetence.

Reports at the time said the installation rites were performed by the Paramount Queen Mother, Obaahema Avo Nyimah III, together with members and custodians of the royal family and the Ellembelle-Manle Paramountcy. Awulae Blay IX was subsequently presented publicly as the new Paramount Chief of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Area.

In October 2025, the Eastern Nzema Traditional Area publicly outdoored Awulae Blay IX and proclaimed him as Paramount Chief and President of the Traditional Council at a ceremony at the Atuabo Palace.

Public role as Paramount Chief

Since his installation, Awulae Blay IX has participated in a number of public activities in that capacity.

For example, on April 29, 2026, he addressed a news conference at Atuabo following the government's revocation of Adamus Resources Limited's mining leases covering the Akango, Salman and Nkroful concessions. The Eastern Nzema Traditional Council subsequently performed customary rites to sever ties with the mining company.

More recently, on August 5, 2026, the Western Regional Peace Council visited the Palace of Awulae Blay IX in Atuabo as part of an engagement with the Eastern Nzema Traditional Council. The Peace Council's official account described Awulae Blay IX as the Paramount Chief of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Area and President of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Council.

On September 15, 2026, the Ghana News Agency also reported on an educational support programme involving Awulae Blay IX and described him as Paramount Chief of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Area and President of the Traditional Council.

Chieftaincy dispute remains unresolved

The latest development comes against the background of an unresolved dispute over the legitimate occupant of the Eastern Nzema paramount stool.

Reports in 2026 indicate that rival factions of the Ndweafo royal family have challenged the circumstances surrounding Awulae Blay IX's installation, while supporters of Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli III have continued to maintain that their preferred candidate remains the legitimate occupant of the stool.

The dispute has therefore moved beyond traditional proceedings and into the courts, with different parties presenting competing positions concerning the legitimacy of the installation and the authority to act as Paramount Chief and President of the Traditional Council.

Against this backdrop, the statement attributed to Awulae Blay IX in the affidavit — that he did not act or style himself as Paramount Chief of Eastern Nzema or President of the Traditional Council — is likely to attract further scrutiny as the legal and traditional dispute continues.

For clarity, Awulae Blay IX has publicly been identified by multiple institutions and news organisations as the Paramount Chief of the Eastern Nzema Traditional Area, while the court proceedings cited by the parties appear to involve a dispute over the legal and traditional basis of that status. The ultimate determination of the matter rests with the appropriate judicial and traditional authorities.

The development is expected to renew public discussion about the distinction between traditional enstoolment, gazettement and legal recognition of a chief, particularly in situations where competing claims to a paramount stool are before the courts.