By: Ebenezer Adugyamfi & Emmanuel Ayiku
8 OCTOBER 2026
Reporting for GhanaianNewsCanada
Former Dome-Kwabenya Member of Parliament Sarah Adwoa Safo has publicly recognised and accepted her brother, Israel Kwadwo Safo, popularly known as Akofena, as the leader of the Kantanka family and the Kristo Asafo Church.
The announcement marks a significant development in a prolonged leadership dispute that emerged within the family and the Kristo Asafo Mission following the death of their father, Apostle Dr Kwadwo Safo Kantanka, in September 2025.
In a statement issued on Thursday, October 8, Adwoa Safo said she had chosen reconciliation and was prepared to work with her brother to protect and advance the vision and legacy of their late father.
She said the family had reached a point where previous disagreements and grievances should be put aside in the interest of unity.
“I have chosen the path of conciliation, founded upon love, mutual respect and the enduring undisputed bonds of family,” she stated.
Adwoa Safo added that she had “immense love and respect” for her brother and, in the spirit of honouring their father’s wishes, was publicly acknowledging and accepting him as the leader of the Kantanka family and Kristo Asafo Church.
Adwoa Safo pledges full support
The former MP did not only recognise Akofena’s leadership but also pledged to work together with him in the interest of the family and the church.
She said her brother had her full support and that she was willing to collaborate with him to advance the vision established by their father.
She also extended goodwill and best wishes to Akofena and her other siblings as the family begins what she described as a renewed journey of peace, forgiveness and reconciliation.
Adwoa Safo said the legacy left behind by their father should not become the property of one individual but should instead be regarded as a collective responsibility of his children.
“Our father’s legacy transcends any one individual. It is a collective inheritance and a profound responsibility entrusted to us, as his children,” she said.
She therefore called on members of the Kristo Asafo Church, the wider Kantanka family and everyone associated with Apostle Kwadwo Safo’s work to respect the unity of the family.
The leadership dispute
The latest announcement comes after months of disagreement over who should lead the Kristo Asafo Mission and the wider Kantanka family following the death of the church’s founder.
The dispute involved competing interpretations of the late Apostle Kwadwo Safo’s succession arrangements and his alleged final directives concerning the future leadership of the church and family.
Earlier in June, a family statement rejected Israel Kwadwo Safo’s claim to the leadership and recognised Adwoa Safo as head of the family.
According to that statement, the late Apostle had initially designated Israel as his successor in 2017 but subsequently revoked that arrangement in 2024 and revised the succession structure.
The family at the time said Adwoa Safo had subsequently been appointed head of the family under the revised succession arrangement.
The disagreement later spilled into legal proceedings.
Two members of the Kristo Asafo Mission went to the High Court in Accra seeking to challenge the proposed recognition of Israel Kwadwo Safo as successor, arguing that the process did not comply with the church’s constitution.
Tensions escalated at Kwabenya
The leadership disagreement also became particularly tense in June following an incident at Kwabenya involving Adwoa Safo.
According to reports, she was allegedly shot at while attempting to serve court documents connected to the leadership dispute.
The incident triggered further public attention and police investigations as both sides presented their accounts of what had happened.
Adwoa Safo subsequently maintained that her involvement in the dispute was not motivated by a desire to control her father’s properties or take over the church.
In a statement issued in July, she said her objective was to uphold what she described as her father’s final wishes and directives.
Akofena had also claimed the leadership
Israel Kwadwo Safo, popularly known as Akofena, had meanwhile maintained that he was the rightful leader of the Kantanka family and Kristo Asafo Mission.
By July, he was publicly identifying himself as the Head of the Kantanka Family and Leader of the Kristo Asafo Mission.
He also took steps through his lawyers concerning arrangements for the burial and final funeral rites of his late father, saying the process needed to follow the deceased’s last will and testament.
The dispute over the succession was therefore closely connected to disagreements about the late Apostle’s will, the administration of his legacy and the future direction of the church and associated family interests.
A major shift in the family dispute
Adwoa Safo’s latest statement represents a major change from her earlier position.
Rather than continuing to challenge her brother’s leadership, she has now publicly accepted him and pledged to work alongside him.
Her decision appears to shift the focus from the question of who should lead to how the family can preserve the legacy of their late father.
She urged the family to move beyond the differences that followed their father’s death and concentrate on rebuilding unity.
“The time has come for us, as a family, to transcend whatever differences, misunderstandings or grievances that may have characterised the immediate aftermath of the demise of our dear dad and consign them to history,” she said.
What happens next?
The latest development could help ease tensions that have surrounded the Kantanka family and Kristo Asafo Mission for several months.
However, questions surrounding the church’s constitutional procedures, the late Apostle’s will, the administration of his estate and the formal structures governing the leadership of the mission may still require clarification.
Adwoa Safo’s public acceptance of Akofena nevertheless provides a significant opening for reconciliation within the family.
Her statement also signals her willingness to work with her brother and other siblings to ensure that the work established by their father continues.
For supporters of Apostle Kwadwo Safo’s legacy, the immediate priority may now shift toward restoring unity and ensuring that the institutions and projects he established continue to operate without the prolonged divisions that followed his death.
The family has yet to publicly provide a detailed account of how the latest reconciliation will affect the pending legal and administrative matters surrounding the church and the late Apostle’s estate.
For now, however, Adwoa Safo’s decision to recognise her brother represents one of the most significant developments in the Kantanka family succession dispute since it began.
GhanaianNewsCanada will continue to monitor developments surrounding the Kantanka family, Kristo Asafo Mission and the legacy of Apostle Dr Kwadwo Safo Kantanka.
