By Our Reporter
There is uneasy calm within the seven divisional clans of Neglishie Alata Traditional Area in James Town, in the Greater Accra Region, which situation has been causing fear and panic among the people in the area.
Information reaching The New Crusading GUIDE indicates that the members of the Neglishie Alata Traditional Council (NATC) are battling with the principal kingmakers and accredited heads and elders of the two ruling houses of the Ngleshie Alata Paramount Stool, ahead of the final funeral rites of the late Paramount Chief of the James Town, Oblempong Kojo Ababio V.
The paper learnt that members of the Council have taken decision not to allow the kingmakers, heads, elders and their newly-installed James Town Mantse, Obrempong Wetse Kojo II to perform the necessary customs and rites for the funeral and burial of the late Oblempong Kojo Ababio V.
At a crowded press conference in Accra on Saturday October 6, 2018, the kingmakers revealed the misunderstanding was so pervasive that if the pragmatic actions were not taken by security agencies, Ga Traditional Council, Greater Regional Minister and Minister for Chieftaincy, Culture and Traditional Affairs, the situation would degenerate into a free-for-all bloody clash.
The kingmaker and head of the Neglishie Alata Paramount Stool, Nii Kojo Appiah V who addressed the media stressed that their call on the national security agencies and key chieftaincy stakeholders and institutions to urgently intervene in the matter was necessary because they had realised there is no peace and stability in James Town now.
This, according to the traditional Office holder, was a result of unfriendly attitudes indulged by the members of the Council to “illegally and unlawfully” bury the late James Town Mantse without approval and consent of the real and rightful kingmakers, heads and elders of the Neglishie Alata Traditional Paramount Stool.
He stated that the Council is a chieftaincy statutory body which does not have the capacity by the constitution under the Chieftaincy Act to install and destool any chief in James Town area in the Ga State.
He argued that the recent media report by the Acting President of the Council, Nii Neglishie Addy V, together with the chief of Dansoman, Nii Kojo Danso II, Kingmaker of Plerno Kokrobite, Ayinsah Sasraku III, Kingmaker of Adjumaku, Nii Ayi Okujeoman IV and chief of Amamoley, Nii Tetteh Okpe II, suggesting that a substantive paramount chief of James Town would be installed soon before the final funeral rites of the late Oblempong Ababio V was just to throw dusts into the eyes of the general public to create unnecessary tension within the area.
“We want to state on the records that those members of the Council who are using the name of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that he entrusted the Council to perform the final funeral rites to bury the late Oblempong Kojo Ababio V are lying against the President.
“Because we know for sure that President Akufo-Addo being an astute lawyer who respects and upholds the rule of the laws in the country would never entrusted members of Neglishie Alata Traditional Council to bury the Oblempong Kojo Ababio V when he knows that the real and rightful kingmakers who supposed to perform that traditional customs and rites are there,” Nii Appiah warned.
According to him, Ngleshie Alata Traditional Paramount Stool is an Akan’s style paramount stool, saying when the chief is died, there is the need for his successor to be installed to supervise the funeral of his predecessor.
He noted that “once the kingmakers, heads and elders of the two royal ruling houses of the Neglishie Alata Traditional Paramount Stool together with the seven divisional clans which constituted the Ngleshie Alata Traditional Area have customarily and traditionally installed Obrempong Wetse Kojo II to succeed the late Oblempong Ababio V any claims and moves by the members of protesting faction to install another paramount chief in the area to be regarded by the general public as illegal and unlawful.”
“The signal we the kingmakers’ is sending was that the members of the council does not install, destool and bury chief. We are daring them to provide the claims in Chieftaincy Act where these functions are giving to them to perform under the Act. “So want to tell them that we are not going to sit down idle for the members of the council and politicians to destroy out ancient laws and customs.
“If the members of the council are saying that they are not going to allow kingmkers and Oblempong Wetse Kojo II to perform their customarily rites at the burial and funeral of the late Oblempong Kojo Ababio V then they should be sure that they would not do the funeral at the James Town Palace and they should go and do it elsewhere because from this week, Oblempong Wetse Kojo II and his kidsmen are to take over the palace” he further warned.
Nii Appiah V was responding to the recent publication in Daily Graphic attributed to Nii Neglishie Addy V and above-mentioned chiefs and elders of James Town that the Neglishie Alata Paramount Stool is vacant and the installation of Oblempong Wetse Kojo II has been illegal and unlawfully.
He used the court ruling to support claims that Oblempong Wetse Kojo II is a recognised chief of the area.
He stated that the members of Judicial Committee of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs (GARH) at Dodowa have unanimously dismissed a suit filed on May 23, 2018 by Nii Ngleshie Addy V and Head of W.C Coffie and Pappoe Allotey families, Prof. Jonathan Hubert Addy challenging the chieftaincy capacity status of the newly-installed Obrempong Wetse Kojo II.
According to him, the ruling has justified and signified the chieftaincy possition of Obrempong Wetse Kojo II, known in his private name as Dr. Prince William Bruce-Quaye that he has been traditionally and customarily installed by the principal king makers in the persons of Papa Nii Sampan,Nii Klemekuku, III, Prince Ashaiaku Bruce Quaye and Nii Sackey Akumeah VI of Ngleshie Alata Paramount Stool.
He noted that the ruling by the Judicial Committe of GARHC made his client (Obrempong Wetse Kojo II) remains the substantive James Town Mantse.
According to him, Obrempong Wetse Kojo has dully gone through laid down customary processes of the Neglishie Alata Paramount Stool by the accredited kingmakers who are clothed with the responsibilities to perform all duties and functions traditionally customary and administratively without any hindrance.
He stressed that there was no questionable character of the chieftaincy status of Obrempong Wetse Kojo II, saying that his chieftaincy capacity is clean and legitimate.
Nii Appiah V called on residents, corporate institutions, individual organisations and business personalities to assist the newly-installed James Town Mantse to perform his legimate duties and functions to propel social and infrastructure development in the area.
