A bitter dispute has erupted regarding the funeral arrangements for the late Apostle Professor Emeritus Engineer Kwadwo Safo Kantanka. Former Dome-Kwabenya MP Sarah Adwoa Safo insists that the planned burial date received approval from the Asantehene, while the Kristo Asafo Mission and her brother argue that no official funeral date has been agreed upon.
In an interview with Citi FM on Tuesday, July 28, Adwoa Safo dismissed claims that she unilaterally selected the funeral date. She clarified that the decision came after months of consultations with the Manhyia Palace, given her father’s royal lineage in the Ashanti Region.
She explained that preparations for the funeral began after the family observed the late founder’s 40-day rites in October and emphasised that they sought guidance from the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, before making any arrangements. “My father comes from a royal background in the Ashanti Region, and for someone of his stature, we could not have proceeded without consulting the King of the Ashanti Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II,” she stated.
According to her, the family held several meetings with the Manhyia Palace before the Asantehene eventually approved a burial date.
“We went back and forth from the palace, trying to seek clearance, getting direction and advice on how to proceed. Finally, the King agreed that we had put a number of things in place and approved a date for us,” she said. Adwoa Safo stressed that the disputed funeral date was not her personal decision.
“I want to state again, for those who have pretended they did not hear, that that date is not my date. That date is from the palace,” she said, adding that anyone seeking to challenge the date should direct their concerns to the authority that approved it.
Her remarks came after her brother, Nana Kwadwo Safo Akofena I, Head of the Safo Family and leader of the Kristo Asafo Mission, said disagreements over the funeral arrangements remained unresolved, making it impossible to confirm a burial date.
The family disagreement has also spilled into a wider dispute over the leadership of the Kristo Asafo Mission following the death of its founder. Adwoa Safo accused her brother of undermining their father’s legacy by allowing disagreements over the church’s leadership and funeral arrangements to play out in public.
“It is embarrassing and a shame that one person in the family wants to wash our dirty linen in public and engage the media all the time,” she said. She argued that anyone aspiring to lead the church should allow the process to unfold naturally rather than attempting to force the outcome.
“If God wants you to lead the church, it will happen. But don’t force your way through it or use any means to secure the position,” she said, adding that pastoral leadership is a calling rather than a position that can be won through personal ambition.
Despite the ongoing dispute, Adwoa Safo maintained that the funeral would begin on Thursday, July 30, with subsequent rites taking place in the following days. However, the Kristo Asafo Mission has rejected that position.
At a press conference on Monday, July 27, the Mission formally declared the July 30 burial date “null and void”, saying mediation efforts involving prominent individuals had failed to resolve the disagreement. The Mission said no new funeral date had been fixed and that an official announcement would be made only after consultations were completed.
It also maintained that Nana Kwadwo Safo Akofena, who it says was named successor in the late Apostle’s will, has the lawful authority over the funeral arrangements.
The latest developments add to an increasingly public dispute within the Safo family, with conflicting claims over both the funeral of the late Kristo Asafo founder and the future leadership of the church continuing to fuel uncertainty.
Source: Edward Acquah
