[ 2011-06-14 ]

Nii Tackie Adama Latse II [l] Nii Tackie Tawia III [R]

Josiah Aryeh approves of Ga Mantse 'coup'
Counsel for the newly installed Ga Mantse has
given his absolute backing to the forceful
takeover of the Ga Stool.

Nii Armah Josiah Aryeh told Joy News’ Dzifa
Bampoh his client could no longer wait for the
snail-paced approach being adopted by the Greater
Accra Regional House of Chiefs which has the
mandate to resolve chieftaincy disputes in the Ga
State.

With the legal maxim “Justice delayed is Justice
denied” Nii Josiah Aryeh, previously the General
Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, so
eruditely gave his blessings to the installation
and subsequent takeover of the Ga Palace by his
client, Nii Tackie Adama Latse II and persons said
to be King Makers.

His comments are at variance with those shared by
Bright Akwetey, counsel for the Abola Piam family,
who are challenging the legitimacy of Nii Tackie
Tawiah III.

Akwetey had early on described the forceful
takeover as “embarrassing” and “contempt of
the court”.

On the contrary, Josiah Aryeh believes his client
has had enough of Greater Accra Regional House of
Chiefs which has the powers of a court.

He accused the House of Chiefs of taking too long
to resolve the chieftaincy dispute brought against
Nii Tackie Tawiah III in 2007.

“We lawyers say Justice delayed is Justice
denied. We took a case to the Greater Accra
Regional House of Chiefs in 2007. I was counsel
and I can assure you that even now the panel of
the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs has not
even gotten round to getting Joe Blankson [Nii
Tackie Tawiah III] into the hall of chiefs so that
he could be examined.

“…Now we simply cannot stand around because if
they delay justice they deny justice and the right
thing has been done today,” he argued.

He emphasized his clients could not wait for
thirty years or more for the Council to pronounce
judgement on the case.

On the legitimacy of the newly installed king,
Josiah Aryeh stated Nii Tackie Adama Latse II is
the rightful heir to the throne and in whose body
"the royal blood flows."

According to him, the new Chief has the full
backing of the Ga People and was installed by the
Dzaasetse, the only person recognized by the Ga
customs to install a chief and something Nii
Tackie Tawiah III did not avail himself to, he
opined.



Royal Houses



Nii Tackie Tawiah III
But the Counsel for the embattled Ga Mantse,
whose whereabouts is not immediately known, has
described the claims as false and challenged the
legitimacy of the new chief.

Willie Amarfio said the ruling houses from which a
Ga chief could be picked are three and not four as
his opponents would have the world believe.

Quoting religiously from a colonial administrative
document dated 1927, Mr. Amarfio named the ruling
Houses as Tackie Commey We, Amugi We, and Teiko
Tsuru We [We, means House].

He described as a new creation- an illegitimate
one- the inclusion of the Abola Piam We as one of
four Royal Houses from where a Ga Mantse could be
picked.

The Abola Piam We, is the family from which Nii
Tackie Adama Latse II hails from.

Willie Amarfio however stressed the legitimacy of
Nii Tackie Tawiah III who he said hails from the
Teiko Tsuru We and who are the right heirs to the
throne.

According to him, the Ga chieftaincy mantle [which
is a garment] was handed to the Teiko Tsuru We by
the late Nii Amugi II in March 1965.

Per Ga customs, the mantle of chieftaincy is given
to the house whose turn it is to inherit the
throne.

“So when Nii Amugu II of blessed memory was
enstooled, in accordance to custom they removed
his garment, his mantle, parceled it and they knew
that it was going to be the turn of Teiko Tsuru We
so they gave it to them in March 1965."

“…This practice is good because there is no
dispute about where or who should succeed a Ga
Mantse. It is already known in advance. Once the
house whose turn it is are in possession of the
mantle when the vacancy occurs, they carry on and
install a chief,” he added.

He dismissed claims that Nii Tackie Tawiah III is
from a matrilineal lineage which makes him
unqualified to have inherited the throne from the
Teiko Tsuru We.

He made references to arguments made by one of the
claimants during the sitting at the Ga Regional
House of Chiefs that the Teiko Tsuru We has every
right to choose a member of the family who has
matrilineal lineage in the event that there was
nobody with patrilineal lineage in the family at
that point in time.

Dr. Joe Blankson who has a matrilineal lineage was
thus picked and installed as Ga Mantse under the
stool name Nii Tackie Tawiah III.

But Josiah Aryeh dismissed that claim. He argued
that Dr. Blankson has his direct father from Gbese
and Mother from Asene. If anything, he should
inherit from there, he argued.

He said the best description for Dr. Joe Blankson
is the great grandson of a Ga Mantse and has no
rights to the throne, he stated.

Source - MyjoyOnline

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