The Gbese Dzaase have stressed the fact that the installation of Thomas Okine as Gbese Mantse by the late Tetteh Ahinakwah of Naa Akua Onidin Akwetey Krobo Saki We and was illegal and cannot be legitimate.
According to them, that installation was not recognised as being from the ruling Akote Krobo Saki clan of Gbese hence, Thomas Okine’s purported installation as Gbese Mantse failed to follow the laid down traditional norms and procedures as required by the 1941 Gbese Agreement.
They said this at a press conference in Accra last Saturday when they addressed the state of Gbese chieftaincy affairs in the Ga Paramountcy.
Addressing the media, the Head of Nyan Abodiamo We Krashie We, Rojo Mettle-Nunooo said, attempts by Nii Tetteh Ahinakwah to install Thomas Okine as Gbese Mantse are absolutely illegal and not in compliance with the 1941 Gbese Agreement, stating empathetically that there is legally no Gbese Mantse installed by the Gbese Dzaase.
According to him, “Additionally, per the judgement of the Supreme Court in the case NO. J4/20/2009 on 29TH APRIL, 2010 the judgement categorically declared that Nii Okaija Annan and Thomas Okine are not chiefs of the Gbese Stool. The legitimate collective of the Gbese Dzaase of the Gbese Stool never participated, nor recognises any successful candidate or has evidence of any installation of a legitimate prospective candidate as a Gbese Chief…for the records, we are minded by a judgement of the Supreme Court in the case under reference NO. J4/20/2009 on 29TH APRIL, 2010 involving Thomas Okine which again reinforces the legal position that Thomas Okine has no legal justification to hold himself up as Gbese Mantse.”
Rojo Mettle-Nunooo also pointed out that, Thomas Okine went on contemptuously procure a gazette from the National House of Chiefs and for well over a decade and has undermined the Gbese Stool and the Dzaase leadership and contemptuously continues in his cynical unlawful manner to interfere and prevent various clan leadership from performing their respective royal leadership obligations, as Gbese Dzaase of the Gbese Stool and Ga Paramountcy.
He said: “Thomas Okine’s total disregard for the principles of succession outlined in the Gbese Stool 1941 Agreement if unchecked and sanctioned, creates a dangerous precedent which serves the illegal usurpation of royal traditional leadership aspirations of legitimate royal clans, houses, families and their people. By this press statement, we are going to formally engage and notify the respective statutory institutions to respect the judgements and rulings that estopped Thomas Okine and Tetteh Ahinakwah from seeking to ignore the effect of the judgement and rulings.”
On the Gbese Chieftaincy Matters, he averred that the Gbese Dzaase Leadership and mandate is based on the Gbese 1941 Agreement where the seven royal clans and their respective royal houses and families are duly recognised by their assenting to the 1941 Gbese Agreement.
That mandate, he said, recognises the leadership of the seven royal houses of Gbese which include Wekuyitso Plenshiaku We aka Shia Wulu, Wekuyitso Tetteh Ankama We, Wekuyitso Akote Krobo Saki We, Okai Odebae We (Shippi), Wekuyitso Afiye We (Stool Wulomo), Wekuyitso Nyan Abodiamo We/Kreshie We (Dzasetse), Wekuyitso Arde Akwa We (Akwashongtse).
He also indicated that there are three ruling clans recognised by the 1941 Gbese Agreement; Plenshiaku We or Shiã Wulu, Tetteh Ankama We and Akote Krobo Saki We.
These ruling clans by a principle of rotation provide prospective candidates for vetting and installation proceedings to the position of Gbese Mantse.
He stressed however that they, as Gbese Dzaase, have not participated in any installation of a Gbese Mantse after the demise of Nii Ayitey Abofu and according to the 1941 Agreement and rotating principle of installation proceedings, the ruling clan to present a candidate for installation was Akote Krobo Saki clan and not Naa Akua Onidin/Akwetey Krobo Saki We.
“There are also four royal clans of the Gbese Dzaase membership that constitute the kingmakers. These kingmaker clans are: Nyan Abodiamo We Kreshie We Principal Dzaase and Kingmakers, Okai Odebae, Arde Akwa We, Afiyea We. The Gbese Dzaase therefore comprises the collective of the three ruling clans/houses and the four kingmaker clans/houses. This body of seven royal clans constitutes the highest statutory royal court of the Gbese Stool.”
He noted that the Gbese Dzaase principally performs all the installation proceedings of the Gbese Stool with respect to the installation of a Gbese Mantse in accordance with the traditional protocols and principles of compliance, and that the totality of the installation proceedings is a process of several rites with the respective traditional and spiritual leadership of the Gbese Stool and the Ga Paramountcy.
Rojo Mettle-Nunooo said, “We have monitored several illegal law suit assertions by Thomas Okine’s claim that he was installed Gbese Mantse by one Tetteh Ahinakwah who was categorically told in a court ruling by Justice Ofosu Quartey that Naa Akua Onidin/Akwetey Krobo Saki is not a name recognised by the 1941 Gbese Agreement clearly establishes that Thomas Okine’s candidacy to the Gbese Stool is an “illegality.”
He said, the Gbese Dzaase expected that Thomas Okine would be formally called and engaged to be notified accordingly and failure to respect the integrity of the court judgements and rulings to the effect that he was never and not a legitimate royal candidate for vetting proceedings as well as installation proceedings to be outdoored as a Chief of Gbese will lead to contempt proceedings against him.
He averred that by Thomas Okine ‘s continuing posturing as Gbese Mantse, he totally disregards the compelling the Supreme Court judgement delivered in his very presence which clearly indicated that Nii Okaija Annan and Thomas Okine are not chiefs of Gbese and that the Gbese Dzaase should proceed to install the legitimate chief.
“Thomas Okine’s continuing posturing as Gbese Mantse is a deliberate disrespectful contempt of the Supreme Court judgement which requires legal contempt proceedings in the Supreme Court, the National, Greater Accra Houses of Chiefs, the Ga Traditional Council and the Gbese Dzaasefoi to establish strict compliance with the Supreme Court judgement.”
The Gbese Dzaase said illegality cannot be countenanced as a precedence to violation of laid down royal leadership norms and procedures for installation proceedings of traditional chieftaincy and royal court leadership.
They also revealed that Thomas Okine high handedly demolished the ancestral stool palace without consultations and regard to the Gbese Dzaase for its historic preservation and relevance; this they described as disrespect which according to them, is undermining all the legitimate royal leaderships of the Gbese Stool and Dzaase.
“We, the Gbese Dzaase of the Gbese Stool have been extremely restrained for several years giving the critical position of the Gbese Stool in the traditional leadership and governance practices of the Ga Kingdom in the Greater Accra Region. This respect for the rule of law and calm royal posturing of the Gbese Dzaase and the legitimate royal leadership of the seven clans constituting the highest royal court authority has been misconstrued by certain opportunists and persons as weakness. This however is not the case.”
Rojo Mettle-Nunoo also maintained that Gbese Dzaase Leadership and mandate is based on the Gbese 1941 Agreement and that, the seven royal clans and their respective royal houses and families are duly recognised by their assenting to the 1941 Gbese Agreement and whilst there are three ruling clans recognised by the 1941 Gbese Agreement.
These ruling clans by a principle of rotation provide prospective candidates for vetting and installation proceedings to the position of Gbese Mantse.
The Gbese Dzaase said, they have also monitored several illegal law suit assertions by the late Tetteh Ahinakwah of Naa Akua Onidin Akwetey Krobo Saki We and one Thomas Okine to the effect that Tetteh Ahinakwah has installed Thomas Okine as Gbese Mantse and that, that purported installation is illegal and cannot be legitimate since this installation was not recognised as being from the ruling Akote Krobo Saki clan of Gbese.
The ruling he averred, categorically rebuked Tetteh Ahinakwah from presuming that Naa Akua Onidin/Akwetey Krobo Saki was the same as Akote Krobo Saki We specifically mentioned in the ruling of Ofosu Quartey.
They said, Thomas Okine will be made to face the full consequences of his actions and continued contempt and that he must be restrained from undermining any further, the authority of the court by his posturing and unlawful activities as Gbese Mantse together with his illegal Dzaase and assigns.
