[ 2011-06-13 ]

Bright Akwetey

Bright Akwetey: Ga Mantse 'coup' embarrassing
Counsel for the Abola Piam family from the Dzaase
who are claimants to the Ga stool and who have
installed a new chief has dissociated himself from
the act.

Bright Akwetey has described Sunday’s
installation of Nii Tackie Adama Latse II and his
subsequent takeover of the Ga Mantse Palace on
Monday as embarrassing to the Ga people and the Ga
State.

Even though he conceded that his clients are the
legitimate heirs to the Ga throne, he would not
advocate a forceful takeover, particularly when
portions of the chieftaincy dispute remains in the
courts.

“I foresaw it coming and I got to know that
people were pushing it. So I advised my clients
and I advised the Dzaase people that you are the
legitimate people to install a Ga Manste but once
you have taken the case to Dodowa (the Ga
Traditional Council) and you want the Chiefs to
adjudicate upon it, it means you couldn’t do
anything about it that is why you took the case to
Dodowa. So if the chiefs are waiting to finish the
case and it is about getting to the end and then
you take the law into your own hands and go and
install a Ga Mantse, I feel embarrassed," he
said.

“If you install a chief in conflict, you harvest
conflict,” he told Joy News’ Israel Laryea on
Monday.

According to the lawyer, his client, until Sunday
had adopted a peaceful and legitimate means of
ousting the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Tawiah III and
had sent the case to the Regional House of Chiefs
at Dodowa for adjudication.

He is therefore appalled that his clients without
waiting for the verdict by the council, decided
with the influences of others, to resort to
violent means of taking over the Ga Stool.

“Chieftaincy matters are adjudicated upon by
Judicial Committees of the Regional Houses of
Chiefs, the Traditional Councils to the National
House of Chiefs. Once you take it there it is only
the chieftaincy tribunal that can pronounce
judgement one way or the other. It is not the
police, it is not anybody else,” he explained.

He said as a lawyer in the case, he has been
embarrassed because what has happened is
completely “contemptuous” to the court.

He said “for 40 years there has been no good
leadership in Accra; for 40 years there has been
no development. So that if we are coming unto the
new stage it must be for something positive;
something that will inspire everybody, not
something negative that we don’t know how to
deal with...; that we are using force to break
into stool rooms; no; that we are fighting and
firing weapons all over; that is not what I want
to hear about people in the Ga Mashie area," he
lamented.

“We should not have two chiefs, one should be
moved and one should come to the stool,” he
said.

Reaction

But the Counsel has been disowned by the Gbese
Mantse, Nii Ayibonte with the subtle approval of
the newly installed chief and the Dzaase People.

At a press conference to outdoor the new chief,
the Gbese Mantse known in private life as Thomas
Okine (and previously CEO of premier league side
Accra Hearts of Oak) said neither he nor the
Dzaase people have hired the services of Bright
Akwetey to adjudicate on their behalf.

He was answering a question posed by Joy News'
Sammy Darko.

He said he was surprised Mr Bright Akwetey would
seek to question the action by the Dzaase people
insisting his comments were unwarranted.

According to Nii Ayibonte, as far he was
concerned, there was no king to lead the Ga people
until he installed Nii Tackie Adama Latse II as
the substantive king.

Source - GNA

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