Accredited kingmakers, elders and nominal heads of the Ga Paramount Royal Stool of the Ga State are up in arms against the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo aka “Lion” for “assuming the traditional and customary position” of Ga Dzaase (Kingmakers).
Nii Afotey Agbo, who jumped to the strong defence of Adama Latse II, after the installation of new King of Ga State under the stool name King Dr. Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, claimed in an interview with Daily Graphic on Tuesday, July 4, 2015 that Adama Latse was the rightful chief of the Ga state.
According to him, Adama Latse who had the legitimate claim to the paramountcy of the Ga State was installed as Ga Mantse after the demise of the disputed Ga Mantse, King Tackie Tawiah II.
Addressing a press conference in Accra yesterday, the Kingmakers also warned Mr. Afotey Agbo to refrain from interfering in the Ga chieftaincy matters.
They also dismissed the assertion that the installation of a new Mantse was wrong, saying his claim should be treated with the contempt it deserves.
Consequently, the kingmakers issued a stern warning to Mr. George Tackie-Abia aka Boni Nii Tackie Adama Latse II, to stop parading himself as Ga Mantse or face their wrath.
They explained that the late Tackie Tawiah III, known in private live as Dr. Joe Blankson, in a ruling dated 18th July, 2008 was empowered to perform the duties of Ga Mantse until the final determination of the consolidated petitions instituted against him.
According to them, in the final ruling of the consolidated petition issued on February 5, 2015 it was stated that there was no Ga Mantse since the demise of the late Ga Mantse Boni Amugi Sorse II, who died on 10th December, 2004 after ruling for 39 years.
The kingmakers pointed out that Tackie Tawiah III died on the 12th April, 2012 and therefore Adama Latse could not have been installed customarily/legally on June 11, 2011 whilst King Tackie Tawiah was legally empowered to perform the duties of Ga Mantse.
They, however, could not fathom why Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo would describe the installation of the new Chief, Dr. Kelvin Tackie Abia under the stool name King Dr. Tackie Teiko Tsuru II by the Ga Dzasetse, Nii Tetteh Kwei II, as fictitious and an attempt to disturb the peace of the Ga community.
Afotey Agbo also claimed that the new chief had not been listed in the records of the Regional House of Chiefs and the National House of Chiefs, who are the institutions that back the installation of a chief by law.
Setting the records straight on the matter, the kingmakers minced no words when they described Adama Latse as an “imposter, a fraudster, a charlatan and alien to the Ga Mantse Stool.”
“In fact, Adama Latse II has no royal blood in his vein as he does not belong to any of the four royal ruling houses from where the legitimate King can be installed. Nii Teiko Tsuru Royal House where Adama Latse claims to have hailed from does not recognise him as an eligible candidate to ascend the Royal Stool because he does not hail from any of the three gates from where a legitimate king can ascend the Royal Stool,” they said.
They denied the claim that Nii Adama Latse II is the only Ga Mantse, explaining that “so far as the Ga Paramount Royal Stool is concerned, there is no existing Ga Mantse after the demise of Nii Sorse Amugi II on December 10, 2004 as stated in the final ruling of the Judicial Committee of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, issued out on February 5, 2015.”
The reaction came in the wake of a publication in the Daily Graphic captioned “Nii Adama Latse II is the only Ga Mantse” on Tuesday, August 4, 2015.
In that publication, Niinabi Anyah Tackie-Yarboi who claimed to be the Stool Secretary issued a statement suggesting that there already existed a Ga Mantse in the person of Boni Nii Tackie Adama Latse II.
The report continued that Nii Tackie Adama Latse had been performing his traditional duties without any hindrance whatsoever from any quarters.
Additionally, it said Nii Tackie Adama Latse, who is also known in private life as George Tackie-Abia, was, on April 24, 2015, gazetted by the National House of Chiefs in the National Register of Chiefs as Paramount Chief and Ga Mantse in succession to the Late Ga Mantse, Nii Amugi II.
To this end, the kingmakers entreated Ghanaians not to effect any payment in terms of royalties due any Ga Paramount Stool Property to any unauthorised person or group of persons who may style themselves as lawful persons or representatives of the Ga Paramount Stool, including Adama Latse.
They said whoever was purported to have occupied the stool would not be accorded that status as a Ga King since his installation was fraudulently done when people broke into the stool room and carried out an illegal installation for their selfish interest.
They recounted that he, together with accredited heads and elders of the Ga Paramount Stool Dzase, filed a writ at the High Court challenging the capacity of George Nii Adama Tackie as the legitimate King of the Ga State, restraining persons or group of persons from inducting him into the Ga Traditional Council.
The kingmakers said they raised serious issues of concern to the legitimacy of all the other people who in their various capacities, nominated, selected and installed George Nii Adama Tackie as Ga Mantse.
According to them, they have on several occasions petitioned the National House of Chiefs against the purported act of endorsing the Chieftaincy Declaration Forms (CD Forms) for George Tackie.
Throwing more light on the issue, they said, Nii George Adama Tackie had on 11th June, 2011 denied before a Court Judge that he had not been installed as a Ga Mantse, leading to a final ruling on the consolidated petition issued on 2nd February, 2015 and the Ga Dzase and its Dzaasetse who is the sole Kingmaker empowered to settle the matter.
The kingmakers stressed that the installation of the new king was properly done and must be recognised by the Ghanaians, especially the Ga community.
They hinted that, plans were far advanced to officially introduce the newly installed Ga Mantse, King Dr. Tackie Teiko Tsuru II to the Ga Traditional Council, the Regional and the National House of Chiefs to fully establish his membership.
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