Igbo King Breaks Silence on Embarrassing Incident With Otumfuo’s Linguist at Asantehemaa’s Funeral
- The Igbo King in Ghana has publicly addressed reports of him being embarrassed by Otumfuo's linguist during Asantehemaa's funeral
- In a video, Eze Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu detailed the events that transpired between him and the Asantehene's subjects at the Manhyia Palace
- The Igbo King's reaction to the alleged incident at the Asante queen mother's funeral triggered mixed reactions from Ghanaians on social media
The Igbo King in Ghana, Eze Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu, has broken his silence on the embarrassing incident that ensued during his appearance at the late Asantehemaa Nana Konadu Yiadom III's final funeral rites at the Manhyia Palace.
Source: TikTok
In an interview with the media at his residence on Saturday, September 20, 2025, the Igbo King denied claims that he was refused the chance to greet or shake hands with Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at the solemn ceremony in Kumasi.
Eze Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu noted that he had previously visited the Asantehene and other prominent traditional leaders across the country to pay his respects at their various palaces.
He stated that he has received applause from many for consistently demonstrating humility and respect and promoting his Igbo culture during his past encounters with various monarchs in Ghana.
The Igbo King in Ghana noted that he and his subjects bowed before Otumfuo Osei Tutu II as per his traditional customs during their visit to the late Asantehemaa Nana Konadu Yiadom III's final funeral rites.
He dismissed claims that he was denied the opportunity to exchange pleasantries with the Asantehene.
Igbo King denies being denied Asantehene greeting
According to him, he was never prevented from shaking hands with Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and not every traditional leader got the chance to go closer to the Asantehene and commiserate with him at the late Asantehemaa Nana Konadu Yiadom III's final burial rites.
"We bowed and we exited. Nobody denied me. There was nothing like denial. The King has never denied me a handshake. Not everyone who went there had a handshake with the King. Hundreds of Kings, Queen Mothers, great men and women who came there shook hands with the King."
Eze Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu noted that he was later surprised to see the reports from bloggers that the Asantehene's subjects had disgraced him during his visit to the Manhyia Palace on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.
He claimed that the reports were lies fabricated by some media personnel who wanted to use him to create content for their platforms.
"I was so surprised that a couple of minutes after that, the news stories from some Ghanaian bloggers were that the King (Otumfuo) denied me a handshake and that I was disgraced at the Manhyia Palace."
"This is 100% lies and fallacies from bloggers who are looking for content. It is 100% lies. There was nothing like a Kingdom disgracing me or denying me."
The video of the Igbo King speaking on the alleged embarrassing incident at the Asantehemaa's burial rites is below:
Igbo King's embarrassing incident with Otumfuo's linguist
The Igbo King's remarks come days after he was allegedly embarrassed by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II's linguist, Baffour Kantankrakye, at the Asantehemaa Nana Konadu Yiadom III's funeral rites on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.
Source: Instagram
In a video, Eze Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu appeared to have been stopped by the Asantehene’s linguist from shaking the monarch’s hand as other people had done.
The video of the Igbo King being allegedly embarrassed by Otumfuo's linguist at the Asantehemaa's funeral is below:
Igbo King's remarks about incident stir reactions
YEN.com.gh has gathered some comments from social media users below:
Ashburner commented:
"Baba, evidence full ground o😂😂😂."
BFR said:
"Why is this guy visiting all the kings in our land? Why?"
Kakyire 1 wrote:
"Boss, keep quiet. We also saw what was happening there. You were trying to ask to greet the King, and the man shook his head and said no, so stop lying 🤣🤣."
Henry Nii Akwetey commented:
"This man always likes to lie. My God, why?"
Ga Mantse halts Igbo King's festival celebrations
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the Ga Mantse had halted the Igbo King's plans to celebrate the Yam Festival with his people in Accra on September 21, 2025.
In a letter sent to the Greater Accra Regional Police, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II warned that the celebration could pose a risk to security in the capital city.
The Ga Mantse had thus called on the police to intervene in stopping the Igbo King Eze Chukwudi Ihenetu from holding the festival celebrations in Accra.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
