The Member of Parliament of Aowin, Oscar Ofori Larbi, has faced the anger of the Aowin Traditional Council’s leaders following allegations of serious misconduct and disrespect toward the paramount chief and several divisional chiefs within the Aowin Traditional Area.
His misconduct has prompted the Aowin Traditional Council to take a decisive and punitive action, banning the lawmaker, who represents the National Democratic Congress, from setting foot on any land within the Aowin Traditional Area.
The leaders, who performed a ritual by pouring libation and sacrificing a white sheep while dressed in black and red attire, expressed their disassociation from Ofori Larbi.
They emphasised that his disrespect toward the paramount chief had tarnished the stool and the dignity of both the traditional council and the chiefs.
During the invocations led by the Chief of Omanpe, Nana Opong Payin III, the leaders appealed to their gods to take severe action against the lawmaker if he defied the ban and set foot in Aowin.
“If he steps foot on this land, let him be dealt with drastically by the gods and idols of this land. We the chiefs are pouring this libation to disassociate ourselves from him and so we don’t want him to associate with any chief of Aowin.
“If he has disrespected the Omanhene, then he has disrespected us all. We have not cursed him, we are following the tradition of our ancestors that teaches us that if someone disrespects you and does not honor your summons, you pour libation to banish them. All the chiefs, spirits of the land, and gods are performing this ritual to banish Oscar Ofori Larbi from Aowin,” he said.
The aggrieved chiefs further appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to assign developmental projects for the town to the Western North Regional Minister, as they fall under his jurisdiction, or to the yet-to-be-named Aowin Municipal Chief Executive to oversee the execution of the projects.
“We have the MCE and the Western North Regional Minister, so if the president intends to initiate development projects for Aowin, he should direct them to the regional minister, who can then inform the MCE to take the lead in executing them. We will also accept it if the project is handed to party executives to the MCE but as for the MP, Ofori Larbi we have no business or governance doing with him. We plead with the president to speak with Ofori Larbi just for peace to prevail.”
In January 2025, the council accused Oscar Ofori Larbi of engaging in illegal mining operations within the Tano Anwia Forest Reserve.
The chiefs accused the MP of allegedly forming a galamsey squad and transporting thugs into the area to engage in illegal mining activities.
“When Nana heard about the issue, we called Larbi, but he didn’t show up. Instead, KED, his special assistant, came to the palace and told us that the individuals engaging in illegal activities in the forest were operating with Larbi’s authority and power.
“He revealed that the squad formed by the MP was responsible for the destruction, and whenever confronted, they would claim to be working for or on behalf of Larbi,” noted Nana Ntow, Chief of Nkwanta, who spoke on behalf of the Aowin Traditional Council.
The council noted that several attempts to engage with the MP, Oscar Ofori Larbi, had been ignored. This situation prompted the chiefs to fall on the regional executives of the National Democratic Congress.
“As we speak, Larbi has not honoured our call. Nananom engaged diplomatically with the regional executives of the NDC to call Larbi to order, but he abused them! He collected a GHS200,000 entry fee for groups to enter our forest reserves. Consequently, Nananom had no choice but to write to the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference on January 20, 2025, to help appeal to the government to stop Larbi and his gang,” stated Nana Opayin II, the Tufuhene of the Enchi Traditional Council.
“We appeal to the IGP to commence investigations into Larbi’s acts, evidence of which shall be provided by Nananom. We need a collective effort from the government through the Forestry Commission, the media, and the security services to stem the tide of blatant destruction of the Aowin Forest Reserve, which is detrimental to the survival of not just Aowin but Ghana,” he added.
Meanwhile, the MP, Oscar Ofori Larbi has dismissed the claims made by the Aowin Traditional Council as outright falsehoods.
MAG/EK
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