According to the traditional leader who doubles as a High Court Judge, the constitution of Ghana does not recognize a kingship status, adding the greatest any traditional leader could be is a paramount chief.
Dormaahene, who is noted for speaking his independent mind without fear or favour, said this among other things while speaking at a meeting with some chiefs at the Bono Regional House of Chiefs.
“There is no law that says that if you are a chief, there is a superior one above you. I want to say without any doubt that there is no king in Ghana - there is not. For the whole of Ghana, the paramount chief is the greatest. If anyone thinks he is the king in the country, then all paramount chiefs should be dissolved for that person to rule so that some of us can go to maybe Cote d'Ivoire or Burkina Faso.
“It is something that has been entertained in Ghana, if someone is not a king, how can he be a paramount chief? As I am here as Dormaahene, am I not a paramount chief? We are hereby serving notice,” Ghanaweb.com quotes him as saying.
Dormaahene went on further to caution traditional leaders within the Bono Regional House of Chiefs against entertaining some unnamed people who have been allegedly offering to make them kings.
“We [Bono regional house of chiefs] have heard that some people are calling some of our chiefs to make them kings. As Bono Regional House of Chiefs, anyone who has been appointed as chief of the various towns is recognized and accorded the respect due to them. The Chieftaincy Act indicates the number of chiefs in Ghana including paramount chiefs, the Asantehene, divisional chiefs, sub-divisional chiefs, Adikromfo, and other chiefs recognized by the National House of Chiefs,” he warned.
Oftentimes, some subjects of certain traditional leaders, in their bid to exalt them, get carried away and refer to them as kings. They sometimes go to the extent of making comparisons, alluding to some paramount chiefs as being superior to the others.