The authority of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, is frequently debated in public, with some claiming the monarch is not a king because the word “king” or “kingdom” is not included in Ghana’s constitution, but rather “paramount chiefs” and “traditional stools.”

Proponents of Asanteman and other historians argue that all paramount chiefs in Ghana are kings, with the Asantehene being the “king of kings,” and that Ghana’s colonial masters coined the terms “paramount chiefs” and “stools” to diminish the power of the traditional rulers they encountered, allowing them to be considered equal to the British king and queen.

Even although the Otumfuo is not a monarch, an organogram of the general assembly of the Asanteman (the Ashanti Kingdom) might reveal the authority of the person holding the post of Asantehene.

During Otumfuo Osei Tutu II’s 15th anniversary celebrations, the Asantehene and Asantehemaa were seated at the top of the hierarchy, flanked by paramount chiefs on the right and left.

The paramount chiefs represent six of Ghana’s sixteen regions, including the entire Ashanti Region, the entire Ahafo Region, portions of the Bono Region, parts of the Bono East Region, parts of the Eastern Region, and parts of the Oti Region.

On the right side of the Asantehene are 36 paramount chiefs, including Juabenhene, Bekwaihene, Kokofuhene, Woraworahene, Oyoko-Kumasi, Mamaponghene, AdansiHene, Offinsohene, Ejisuhene, Asokorehene, Beposohene, Adankragyahene, Agonahene, Nkoranzahene, Asuboahene, Asamanhene, Adonten-Kumasi, and Nifa-Kumasi.