Chronology of Dagbon kingship disputes

The kingship rotation system in Dagbon kingdom between the Abudu and Andani Gates worked smoothly until 1948. Governed by a team of sooth sayers, locally called "Bagisi", their leader Kuga Na was solely responsible for naming the next Ya Naa. In 1948 the sooth sayers was replaced with a Selection Committee whose membership had leanings towards the Abudu clan. Upon the death of Ya Naa Mahama III, from the Abudu Gate in 1953 the committee chose his son Abdulai to succeed him. This contravened the rotational system, eliciting protests from the Andani Gate. The crisis deepened, prompting the government to set up a committee of inquiry - the Opoku Afari committee - whose findings favoured the Andani Gate. But to maintain peace the government allowed the then sitting Ya Naa (Abdulai III) to complete his term. In 1960 the government published a Legislative Instrument 59 (L.1.59) which ordered that after the death of Abdulai III, the choice of the next Ya Naa should be either the regent Mion-Lana Andani or his son. It recognised the existence of the two Gates and that of alternate succession, noting that since the committee had created a situation in which the Abudu took more than its share, the Andani would automatically succeed to the kingship for two successive terms after the death of Abdulai III. In 1966 however, through appeals from the Abudu clan, the government set up the J.B. Siriboe committee to look into the merits and demerits of the L.1.59 and based on its recommendations, revoked the L.1.59. By this time Andani had already been installed as Ya Naa Andani III, but the decision paved way for Mahamadu to lay claim to the kingship. In December 1968 the Mate Kole committee was set up to look into the matter again in the light of the rival claim of kingship by Mahamadu. Ya Naa Andani III died three months later, but the committee recommended on 4 August, that he was unconstitutionally selected and declared his installation null and void. The committee declared Mahamadu of the Abudu Gate the rightful heir to the kingship. However this sparked protests in September 1969 in which 69 people, mainly women and children were shot dead by security authorities. Following a petition by the Andani Gate, the government in 1972 set up the Ollenu committee to review the problem. Two years later, it reversed the recommendations of the earlier Mate Kole committee. The government then installation of Ya Naa Andani III and subsequently passed the Yendi Skin Affairs Decree 299 giving legitimacy to the recommendations of the Ollenu committee. In 1979 the Abudu Gate, through SMC II Decree 238 were granted the right to appeal against the Ollenu committee recommendations. This was later repealed in Decree 32 of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) which took power on 4 June 1979 for a three-month period. AFRC reinstated NRC Decree 299. In 1984, the Provisional National Defence Ruling Council, (PNDC) by Law 86 amended NRC Decree 299 and gave the right of appeal against the Ollenu committee report. The Abudu Gate took the matter to the Appeal court. In 1985, the court put aside the Ollenu report. The Andani Gate appealed against the Appeal court's ruling and on 17 December, 1986 by a six to one majority the Supreme court restored the recommendation of the Ollenu committee. This ensured the restoration of the rotational system of ascension to the kingship of Dagbon. The court declared the matter closed. The Ollenu committee report was elevated to the status of law. After this, the Ya Naa Yakubu Andani II became the Ya Naa of Dagbon.