The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has called on all his sub chiefs to desist from publicly showing support for one political candidate over another, warning that it’s important that they maintain their neutrality in the eyes of their subjects.
The overlord of the Asante kingdom made the remarks to the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs, noting that whilst everyone can have their personal preference, it is better to maintain neutrality when placed in their positions.
“All the various parties are in your communities so desist from openly showing that you belong to one side, because you serve and lead all of them.” He said.
“As humans, when you go to the booth on election day, nobody can tell you who to vote for; that is your choice and nobody can stop you from voting for your preferred candidate. What I urge you, however, is that don’t go showing support for any of them for your people to know where you belong,”
The Asantehene added, however, that showing appreciation to a government for a project in your area is not the worst thing in the world.
“…If government does something for you and you want to express your appreciation, that is not against the law, and there is nothing wrong with that. But showing support for any of the candidates and political parties is not allowed by our tradition so be careful as chiefs”. He concluded.