Nii Kwei Aplaku I Reclaims Original Chieftaincy Title!---Urges Public To Use His Correct Chieftaincy Title

The elders of the Aplaku Divisional Stool Council and Dzaase Council—the accredited kingmakers and traditional custodians of the Aplaku Stool under the Ngleshie Alata Traditional Council in Accra—have officially notified the public that the Chief of the Aplaku Divisional Stool has reverted to his original chieftaincy title, Nii Kwei Aplaku I.

The chief, who was lawfully installed in 2004 under the stool name Nii Kwei Aplaku I, was sometimes mistakenly referred to as Nii Kwei Aplaku III.

This error has now been officially corrected through a statutory declaration executed by the principal elders and members of the Aplaku Stool Council.

Following the approval of a statutory declaration submitted by the elders of the Aplaku Divisional Stool Council and Dzaase Council, the Ngleshie Alata Traditional Council and the Ngleshie Alata Paramount Royal Stool Council sanctioned this correction. Consequently, the chief has reversed his earlier status and will henceforth be known traditionally as Nii Kwei Aplaku I.

This action is formalized in a statutory declaration made in accordance with the Statutory Declarations Act, 1971 (Act 389).

It was executed by the following officials of Aplaku:Nii Tetteh Okoso III,Aplaku Dzaasetse, Numo Otibo Adams, Aplaku Worlormo)Nii Narteh Kwei, Family Head of Nii Kwei Weku of Aplaku, Nii Okine Addey IV, Aplaku Asafoatse)Nii Tettey Nartey, Principal Elder of Aplaku Stool, Nii Narh Nartey,Stool Elder, Nii Atram Adams,Stool Elder and Benard Atram Yartey, Aplaku Stool Secretary)

The principal elders, kingmakers and members of the Aplaku Divisional Stool Council made the statutory declaration that in 2004, Joseph Tettey Nartey Jnr was elected, outdoored, and enstooled as the chief of the Aplaku Divisional Area with the stool name Nii Kwei Aplaku I.

He was the first occupant of the Aplaku Stool from the Nii Kwei family branch of the Nii Nartey Aplaku family.

According to a statutory declaration document in the possession of the African Today News, the chief remained known as Nii Kwei Aplaku I until he was incorrectly referred to as Nii Kwei Aplaku III.

This occurred in a letter dated November 27, 2025, from the Aplaku Stool Council to the Ngleshie Alata Traditional Council and Ngleshie Alata Paramount Stool Council, presumably on account of being the third occupant of the Aplaku Stool since its creation in 1965.

The statutory declaration document stated that several subsequent correspondences from the Ngleshie Alata Traditional Council and Ngleshie Alata Paramount Stool Council continued to refer to the chief as Nii Kwei Aplaku III.

In response, the Aplaku Stool Council and Nii Kwei Aplaku I clarified that they exclusively use the name and title Nii Kwei Aplaku I.

They have since written to both traditional councils to draw attention to the error.The document explicitly asserts that the names Nii Kwei Aplaku I and Nii Kwei Aplaku III refer to one and the same person—known in private life as Joseph Tettey Nartey Jnr, who was enstooled as chief of the Aplaku Stool in 2004.

Finally, the document concluded that the principal elders and members of the Aplaku Stool Council made this solemn declaration conscientiously, believing it to be true in accordance with the Statutory Declarations Act, 1971.

The document was signed or thumb-printed by the named declarants after the contents were read and interpreted to them in the Ga language by the Aplaku Stool Secretary, Benard Atram Yartey.

Legitimacy and Kinship

Accredited elders and kingmakers of the Aplaku have reaffirmed their loyalty to Nii Kwei Aplaku I, recognizing him as the sole legitimate chief since his installation in 2004.

The elders and kingmakers have urged the general public to use the new, official chieftaincy title of Nii Kwei Aplaku I when addressing the chief with the traditional respect he is due.

They pointed out that ever since his installation in 2004, Nii Kwei Aplaku I has been performing all the necessary rites and libations, leading the traditional priests and princesses to carry out these customary duties in accordance with the rules of the Aplaku Divisional Stool.

They cited the ongoing significant roles Nii Kwei Aplaku I plays in leading traditional priests and priestesses to perform important customary rites and traditions to appease the gods and shrines within the Aplaku Divisional Area ahead of the grand commemoration of this year's annual Homowo Festival of the people of Aplaku.

They dismissed claims that the Aplaku Divisional Stool is vacant, clarifying that no destoolment process has ever been initiated against him.

Furthermore, they stated that rival claimant Kabu Adams has no blood ties to the royal family, making any attempts to install him illegal.

Legal Actions Against Suspects

Following the illegal installation of Kabu Adams as a rival chief, an incident occurred on Thursday, November 13, 2025, during which three people were shot at the Aplaku Divisional Chief's palace.

As a result, the Dansoman Circuit Court remanded five of eight suspected gunmen into police custody for unlawful shooting and contempt of court.

These five suspects were remanded after failing to meet their bail conditions, while an associate named Ayikwei Armu remains at large.

Customary Succession and Warnings

The elders clarified the ancestral lineage, explaining that succession to the stool and the Chief Priest (Wolomo) position rotates among the three children of the founder, Nii Nartey Aplaku.

They cautioned the public that any land or chieftaincy transactions involving the rival claimant are null and void.

They also accused Nii Otiboh of destabilizing the area and urged the public to disregard misinformation from impostors, emphasizing that chieftaincy is determined by custom, not elections.

Pix: Nii Kwei Aplaku I, substantive chief of Aplaku Divisional Area in Accra

Pix:Statutory Declarations Document