The Kingdom of Dagbon is mourning the death of Yaa Naa Mahama Abukari II, the 41st overlord of the traditional state, whose enskinment in 2019 brought an end to one of Ghana’s longest and most painful chieftaincy disputes. He was 87.
Following Dagbon tradition, the late king was buried at dawn in the royal mausoleum at the Gbewaa Palace in Yendi after funeral rites were conducted.
His reign marked a turning point in a conflict that had gripped the kingdom since 2002, when his predecessor, Yaa Naa Yakubu Andani II, was killed during violent clashes. The crisis left the Yendi skin vacant for 16 years, preventing the late king’s funeral from being held or a successor from being chosen. It also deepened divisions between the Abudu and Andani royal gates and disrupted traditional governance across Dagbon.
The breakthrough came after years of mediation led by the Committee of Eminent Chiefs under the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. The agreement reached between the rival royal families restored stability and cleared the way for a new king to be selected.
On January 18, 2019, kingmakers led by the Kuga Naa consulted the Dagbon oracles to choose a successor from four candidates. Yaa Naa Mahama Abukari II was identified as the chosen candidate after being presented with ceremonial grass pulled from the roof of the Gbewaa Palace, a traditional sign that the oracle had spoken. He was formally enskinned on January 25, 2019.
His installation attracted traditional rulers, religious leaders and government officials from across Ghana. Ghana’s President John Mahama attended the ceremony, alongside delegations from traditional kingdoms including Asanteman and Mamprugu. The event was chaired by Togbe Afede XIV, President of the National House of Chiefs.
Born Bukali in Mion, Yaa Naa Mahama Abukari II was the son of Yaa Naa Mahama II, who ruled Dagbon from 1938 until his death in 1948, and Ayishetu, a princess from Kulunkpegu near Chaazaadaanyili in the Northern Region.
His journey to the throne began as chief of Kpunkpono before he was elevated to the Savelugu skin, one of the three gate skins from which candidates can ascend to the Dagbon kingship. The others are Mion and Karaga, as provided under the Dagbon Constitution of 1930 and a 1986 Supreme Court ruling on succession.
During his reign, he focused on preserving the peace that had finally returned to Dagbon. He established the Dagbon Development Fund in 2021, began a review of the Dagbon Constitution the previous year, and in March 2023 cut the sod for the reconstruction of the historic Gbewaa Palace. Traditional ceremonies that had been suspended throughout the chieftaincy crisis also resumed under his leadership, and he was widely praised for strengthening reconciliation between the Abudu and Andani royal gates.
With the burial completed, attention now shifts to the next phase of the succession process. Under Dagbon custom, the late king’s eldest son is expected to be enskinned as Kpampayaa Naa, or Regent, in the coming days. He will oversee the administration of the kingdom alongside the Council of Elders until the final funeral rites are concluded and a new Yaa Naa is selected.
Security has been tightened in Yendi as chiefs whose skins trace their authority to the Yaa Naa gather at the Gbewaa Palace to pay their final respects. Across Dagbon, many are remembering a ruler whose reign came to symbolize peace, reconciliation and the healing of a kingdom divided for nearly two decades.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah