The Teshie Mantse and President of the Teshie Traditional Council, Gbetsoolo Nii Ashitey Akomfra III has debunked rumour by some disgruntled elements within the Teshie Traditional Area that the Teshie Traditional Council is not a legitimate body.
On Fridav, November 24, 2023 a jubilant crowd cladded in white paraded the streets of Teshie to announce the destoolment of the Teshie Mantse, by the National House of Chiefs.
Nii Akomfra III has however described the rumour as being false, wicked and mischievous.
Setting the records straight at a press briefing at the Teshie Traditional Council, Gbestoolo Nii Ashitey Akomfra III, stated that, last Friday the Judicial Council of the National House of Chiefs delivered a simple and straight forward judgment on an Appeal made by him against the ruling by the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs over a decision in an application to strike out a Petition in Suit No. GARHCP.5/2019 for lack of capacity and forgery.
He declared that he is still in office as the Teshie Mantse and the President of the Teshie Traditional Council and has never been destooled by the National House of Chiefs as is being alleged.
He said the National House of Chiefs affirmed the ruling of the Regional House of Chiefs and therefore dismissed the appeal paving way for the matter to continue at the Regional House in Dodowa.
The judgement by the National House of Chiefs according to him cannot be misconstrued as a destoolment order against a Chief whose name has already been entered into the register of the National House.
“It is only the stark illiterate or mentally unstable intermeddler who will celebrate this judgment as a license to depose and install another chief when the National House of Chiefs have not expressly stated so.
below is the full statement
PRESS STATEMENT ON THE DISTORTION OF THE JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS BY THE TESHIE TRADITIONAL COUNCIL
Ladies and Gentlemen
I wish to welcome you to this Press Conference.
In February 2023, Mr. Joseph Tetteh was posted as the 1st Registrar to the Teshie Traditional Council to facilitate the process for the inauguration of the Council. This was followed by an inspection tour of this office facility by Mr. Menka of the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs and the Registrar of the Greater Accra House of Chiefs on Friday, April 28, 2023.
On Monday 6th November, 2003 Justice Patricia Quansah of the Tema High Court inducted Gbetsoolo Nii Ashitey Akomfra III, Teshie Mantse as the first President of the Teshie Traditional Council.
Six other Gazettted Chiefs were also inducted into office alongside Gbetsoolo as members of the Council Gbetsoolo and the 6 chiefs were admitted to the Official Oath, the Judicial Oath and the Oath of Secrecy.
The Chiefs so inducted include
Nii Ashikwei Kwaobotswe II, Divisional Chief of Lenshie and Teshie Dzasetse, Nuumo Adjei Sankuma III, Klemusun Mantse/Osabu Ayiku Wulomo, Nii Kotey Afutu Brempong Ill, Pantang Mantse, Nii Nmertteh Aku I, Ayim Mantse, Nii Amartey Kwei III, Kweiman Mantse and Nii Laryea Brenya I, Danfa Mankralo.
Since the coming into force of the Teshie Traditional Council, certain disgruntled elements within the Teshie chieftaincy divide have made it their business to undermine and torpedo the Council.
They concoct and spread spurious claims and propaganda on social media and the rumour vine that the Teshie Traditional Council was not a legitimate body.
The latest wicked and mischievous claim was made last Friday, 24th November, 2023 by a jubilant crowd cladded in white and parading the streets of Teshie to announce the false destoolment of Gbetsoolo Nii Ashitey Akomra III by the National House of Chiefs.
We wish to reassure the General Public that Gbetsoolo Nii Ashitey Akomfra II is still in office as the Teshie Mantse and the President of the Teshie Traditional Council and has never been destooled by the National House of Chiefs as being alleged.
Ladies and Gentlemen, last Friday the Judicial Council of the National House of Chiefs delivered a simple and straight forward judgment on an Appeal by Gbetsoolo Nii Ashitey Akomfra III against the Ruling by the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs.
Ladies and gentlemen,
What is the appeal about?
The appeal is against this ruling of the GARHC: “For the foregoing reasons we dismiss the application as having no merit.
MATTER TO TAKE ITS NATURAL COURSE” .
The Parties in this Petition were listed as follows:
Nii Ashitei Amarh, (2) Nii Okai Duamro, (3) Daniel Ashitei Amarh and (4) Asafoatse Yenko Yenda in their capacities as Head of Family of Ashitey We, Mankralo of Teshie, Principal Member and Lenshie Dzasetse all of whom are Kingmakers of the Teshie Paramount Stool.
Nii Okang Duamro later wrote to disassociate himself with the Petition. The Respondents were listed as being
Theophilus Amarh aka Gbetsoolo of Teshie and
Theophilus Amarh Alias Nii Ashikwei Kwaobotswe. I
Ladies and Gentlemen, please note very carefully that the so-called Teshie Council of Elders and the so-called Gbugblah Oblahiiamantse are not parties to this Suit.
Their claim that judgment has been awarded in their favour is totally bogus and fraudulent.
The Key Reliefs sought by Petitioners:
A declaration that the purported installation of the 1st Defendant/ Respondent was invalid, void and of no effect.
Counter-Claim by Respondents
A declaration that
Per Teshie Customary Law affirmed by Judgments of the GARHCs, The Mankralo, Shikitele, Osabu/Ayiku Wulomo and the Teshie Dzasetse are the only Teshie Kingmakers. Petitioners are not Teshie Kingmakers and therefore not clothed with any capacity to file any petition over matters affecting the Teshie paramount chief.
The institution of an action in the name of the 2nd Petitioner without his knowledge amounts to contempt as an action cannot be founded on an illegality.
Declaration that the election, nomination and election OF Gbetsoolo is not valid is not tantamount to destoolment and
the addition of 2nd Petitioner as a party to the suit without his consent, who in any case has withdrawn from the matter, could not be proper ground for the petition to be struck out.
Grounds of Appeal
That the Committee erred in law and the facts in unduly restricting the meaning and scope of “proceedings for the deposition of a Chief” within the meaning of section 40 of the Chieftaincy Act, 2008 (Act 759)
The Committee erred in Law when it held that the fact the present action brought in the name of the 2nd Petitioner/Respondent without his knowledge, consent and/or approval is not fatal to the matter.
Judgment of the National House of Chiefs
“We have examined the record of appeal and hereby affirm the ruling of the Regional House of Chiefs and hereby dismiss the appeal.”
Ladies and Gentlemen
No Ghanaian in his right-thinking senses will misconstrue or twist this simple and straight judgment as a destoolment order by the National House of Chief against a Chief whose name has already been entered into the Register of the National House.
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is only the stark illiterate or mentally unstable intermeddler who will celebrate this judgment as a license to depose and install another chief when the National House of Chief has not expressly stated so.
Ladies and Gentlemen, while we patiently wait for the full written judgment to consider our next course of action, we wish to assure you that Gbetsoolo and the Teshie Traditional Council will not be detracted from the agenda to make Teshie an enviable place to live in.
Therefore, the planned creation of new and additional Divisional Areas of the Teshie Paramount will go on unabated.
We also plan to install new traditional office holders by the end of the Year.
The long-awaited funeral of the late Teshie Mantse Nii Ashikwei Akomfra III, who passed away nearly 40 years ago together with other fallen royals like the late Nii Ashitey Otswansu II and other shall be performed before next year’s bloiahejuu ceremonies.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We wish to serve judicial notice that from henceforth, this venue shall be the only offices of the Teshie Traditional Council and nowhere else in Teshie.
Don’t also forget that there is only one Teshie Mantse as the President of the Council with Gbetsoolo Nii Ashitey Akomfra III as the only President of the Council.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we thank you for participating this presser and urge you to go out there and spread this message to all those who have ears to hear.
Source: Muhammed Faisel Mustapha
