Information reaching Today newspaper points to a looming chieftaincy clashes in Ga Mashie in the Greater Accra Region today Thursday, June 8, 2017.
This development follows the diabolical move by embattled Thomas Okine aka Nii Ayi Bonte and his cohorts to perform the Odadao traditional customary rites to mark the lifting of the one month ban on drumming and noise making in the Ga state.
However, for the peace to prevail in Ga Mashie, scores of legitimate kingmakers, chiefs and elders of the three royal ruling houses at Gbese in Ga Mashie called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to immediately use his good offices as the Commander-In-Chief of Ghana Army Forces (GAF) to stop the self-styled chief of Gbese, Nii Ayi Bonte from performing the Odadao traditional customary rites.
According to them, their call is a matter of importance because any attempt by Nii Ayi Bonte who been restrained by the law court to stop holding himself as Gbese Mantse to perform the traditional customary rites to lift ban today (Thursday, June 8, 2017) will likely to be greeted with a serious bloody clash in Ga Mashie.
They accused the newly appointed Greater Region Accra Minister, Mr. Ishmeal Ayittey for supporting Nii Ayi Bonte to celebrate this year’s Odadao celebration.
The kingmakers and elders stated that their efforts to impress upon the minister to stop Nii Ayii Bonte whose chieftaincy legitimate was questionable from performing the rites were ignored by the minister hence their on the President to swiftly intervene.
Addressing a crowded press conference in Accra this morning, kingmakers and elders noted that the arrogant posture of Thomas Okine to insist on leading Ga Traditional Council to perform this year’s tradtional customary rites to lift the ban has built serious tension in the Ga state, hence their call for the president to stop him from performing this traditional event of the people of Ga State.
The one month period is an annual event, which is a time of communion with the gods to seek favour for abundance of food and fish for the Homowo Festival. This year’s festival is scheduled for today Thursday, June 8, 2017.
However, the kingmakers and elders expressed the Ga State unhappiness about the constant arrogant posture of Nii Ayi Bonte to violate traditional chieftaincy rules and regulations within the Ga State.
They called for intensive investigations and appropriate measures to forestall future occurrence of the chieftaincy misconduct of Ayi Bonte and his associates.
Speaking further, they stressed the need for the National House of Chiefs (NHC) to, as a matter of urgency, expunge the chieftaincy title name of Nii Ayi Bonte from the National Register of Chiefs so as to forestall peace in Ga Mashie of the Ga State.
In the aggrieved tone, they called on the NHC headed by the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV, Nii Okaija III, to fast truck the action on the issue which has travelled for the past twelves years.
The kingmakers and elders pointed out that their call has become necessary due to the many court judgments which declared Nii Ayi Bonte, known in private life as Thomas Okine, as an illegitimate person to ascend the Gbese throne.
They gave eight reasons why Nii Ayi Bonte’s name should be removed from the national roll of chiefs.
They recalled that the NHC took a decision to remove the name of Nii Ayi Bonte on the strength of a judgment by the Supreme Court on January 16, 2014, which nullified the earlier judgment by the Judicial Committee of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs on February 17, 2003.
According to them, “the NHC noted that the Order of Mandamus which formed the basis for the registration of Nii Ayi Bonte II was founded on the said judgment of the Judicial Committee and since that judgment has been nullified, the Order of Mandamus could not stand.”
They also made reference to the fact that the ruling by the High Court Judge did not override that of the Supreme Court, being the apex court of the land.
In view of this, they revealed that Nii Ayi Bonte is still under Restraining Order not to hold himself as Gbese Mantse–Suit No. GTC/JC6/2008.
But, according to them, his [Nii Ayi Bonte] lawyer, Mr. Adumoa Bossman, declared the court’s ruling ‘null and void’ which is contrary to the conventional appeal procedure.
The kingmakers and elders contended that Mr. Bossman’s said declaration came about long after the appeal period had lapsed. (Sec. 29. (3) & (4) of the Chieftaincy Act 759).
Explaining further, they said the 27th November 2014, six (6) years after the Restraining Order was granted; the Judicial Committee of the now-re-constituted Ga Traditional Council “lifted” the Order even though the panel had no such power to do so.
Besides, they asserted that the procedure applied in “lifting” the Order was wrong.
That, Thomas Okine’s CD Forms 1A and 1B, the letter alleged, were not researched (as has been confirmed by members of the Research Committee at the time), and that, there were several cases pending against him at that time till now.
They continued that the default judgment by the re-constituted Ga Traditional Council that “Nii Ayi Bonte is the Gbese Mantse” was set aside in Suit No. BMSC 532/2015 dated 22nd April 2015 which was presided over by His Lordship Asuman-Adu.
According to them,” no court of competent jurisdiction has declared Thomas Okine as Gbese Mantse. And therefore holding himself as Gbese Mantse was in continuous contempt of court; as per the Restraining Order, GTC/JC6/2008 dated 8/8/08.
“Meanwhile our [Nii Okaidja III] status as the Gbese Mantse has been variously confirmed by the original Ga Traditional Council; three High Court Rulings and two Supreme Court Judgments,” the kingmakers and elders stated.
They went on to reproduce paragraph 15 of the Affidavit sworn by Thomas Okine (Nii Ayi Bonte) on the 30th Day of September, 2014 which stated: “I am advised and verily believe that by procedural rules once a document has been referred to in a Party’s pleading or affidavit, the opposing party is entitled to inspect and take copies of that document.”
They said Nii Ayi Bonte’s lawyer’s Mandamus Order which threatened and forced the House to insert Thomas Okine’s name into the Register was founded on the Dodowa Judgment dated 17th February 2003 which has been dismissed by the Supreme Court.
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