Kantanka Will Does Not Automatically Name Church Leader, Says Legal Expert

Following the public reading of the late Apostle Dr Kwadwo Safo Kantanka's will at the Accra High Court, private legal practitioner Kwame Akufo has clarified that the document does not automatically designate a leader for the Kristo Asafo Mission, countering widespread interpretations that Israel Kwadwo Safo Akofena is the rightful successor to the Kantanka Empire.

Constitutional changes hold the key. Mr Akufo explained that the will was drafted before the church's constitution underwent significant amendments. He argued that when the will was written, Akofena held a special position in the founder's plans and was later formally designated to exercise authority on Safo Kantanka's behalf. However, this changed following constitutional reforms initiated by the founder himself.

"At the time that the will was written, Akofena was clearly a man who sat in the bowels of the man's heart," Mr Akufo stated. "Subsequently, Akofena was designated as an exerciser of the gentleman upon his person. However, it was the same gentleman who initiated a repeal of that constitutional provision, and Akofena was removed as designated leader."

The lawyer emphasised that by the time of Safo Kantanka's death, Akofena was no longer the designated leader according to the church's constitutional position at that time. "So by the time his father was dying, Akofena was not the designated leader of the church," he noted. Mr Akufo also criticised public commentary on the succession, suggesting that accurate information about the constitutional developments has been overlooked in media and public discourse.