President Nana Akufo-Addo (right) with some of the chiefs
The GA Traditional Council through its spokesperson, Nii Oto Blafo III, the Otublohum Seitse, have requested the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, based on the power vested in him by Article 278 of the 1992 Constitution, to establish a Commission of Enquiry to look into the challenge the Ga Traditional Council is faced with as far as succession to the Ga Mantse stool is concerned.
Addressing the President at the Jubilee House when they paid a courtesy call on him, the Traditional Council conceded that since the death of the late Ga Mantse, Nii Amugi in 2005, the Ga State had not been able to appoint a substantive replacement due to multiple conflicts, law suits and family disputes over which house or family is the legitimate entity to occupy the stool.
“The Ga State is threatened because for thirteen years, this is the fourteen year since the death of Boni Nii Amugi and we have no substantive Ga Mantse,” Nii Oto Blafo III, said. To that end, the spokesman further stated that the traditional council, “believes that through the emergence of a Commission of Enquiry, the problem of the Ga state will come to a close, the truth will be told and we know which houses are ruling houses and whose turn it is to emerge as Ga Mantse. We will be so grateful to the President if this is done” the spokesperson of the Ga Traditional Council added.
Additional Concerns
The Traditional Council further articulated two other concerns that
they have, namely the recent elevation of five (5) out of the twelve
(12) existing divisional stools to paramountcy status at the expense of
the remaining seven (7) by the National House of Chiefs. They requested
the President to step into the issue to get the remaining seven
divisional chiefs to be elevated to paramouncies as well.
The last of their request had to do with the takeover of the Accra
Community Centre as part of the upcoming Marine Drive Project by an
Executive Instrument passed in April 2016 by the John Mahama
administration which compulsorily acquired a 243 acres of land
stretching from the Osu enclave to the Mensah Guinea beach. The
Traditional Council requested the President to reverse the the takeover
and return that portion of land to the Ga Traditional Council.
President Akufo-Addo
President Akufo-Addo in his response to the requests by the Ga
Traditional Council indicated he and his team of lawyers will give
consideration to the constitutional implications of appointing a
Commission of Enquiry as compared to
the powers of the Judicial Committee of the Greater Accra Regional
Houses of Chiefs which is the arrangement in the laws of the land. On
the issue of the elevation of the some seven divisional stools to the
level of paramouncies, President Akufo Addo indicated that his
administration will write to the Regional House of Chiefs to seek
clarification to bring closure to same. Through the intervention of the
Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, it became clear that the Minister
for Tourism, Catherine Afeku, is aware of the issue to do the the land
that has been acquired compulsorily and a solution to the problem is
being worked out.
Members of the Delegation
Members of the delegation who visited with the President included, Nii Dodoo Nsaki II- Acting President of the Ga Traditional Council & Otublohum Mantse,; Nii Ayi-Bonte II, Gbese Mantse & Adontenhene of the Ga State, Nii Ayikai III, Akumanjay Mantse; Nii Ahele Nunoo III, Abola Mantse; Nii Adote Otintor II, Sempe Mantse, and Numo Akwaa Mensah III, Nae Wulomo. The remaining are Nii Oto Blafo III, Otublohum Seitse; Nii Oko Berimah I, Glefe Mantse; Nii Afutu Aflagadza I, Nefu Jorbu We Mankralo and Nii Ayaa Akoto Fai III, Chief Linguist of Ga state. The delegation also included Naa Adoley Owaaman I, Nmenmete Manye; Naa Ahema Okropong I, Noyaa manye and Mercy Asante, the Registrar of the GA Traditional Counsel.
–Starrfmonline