THE REPUBLIC vs. THE NATIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS KUMASI EX-PARTE: NANA SAKYI AKOMEAH II ANDNANA ABROKWA GYAMPIM IV [2000]DLCA6630

THE REPUBLIC vs. THE NATIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS KUMASI EX-PARTE: NANA SAKYI AKOMEA... [2000]DLCA6630

Date	2000-02-04
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. 68/99.
Citation No.	[2000]DLCA6630

ESSILFIE-BONDZIE JA. (PRESIDING)

AMONOO-MONNEY JA

OWUSU-ANSAH JA

[2000]DLCA6630
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>THE NATIONAL
HOUSE OF CHIEFS KUMASI<o:p></o:p>EX-PARTE:
NANA SAKYI AKOMEAH II ANDNANA ABROKWA GYAMPIM IV<o:p></o:p>(APPELLANTS/APPLICANTS)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">CIVIL
APPEAL NO. 68/99. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE: 4TH FEBRUARY, 2000<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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ESSILFIE-BONDZIE JA. (PRESIDING), AMONOO-MONNEY
JA, OWUSU-ANSAH JA,<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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</div>Owusu-Ansah
J. A. delivered the judgment of the Court. <o:p></o:p>This
is an appeal from the Ruling of R.K. Apaloo, J, sitting at the High Court,
Accra on 23/1/98, wherein he refused an application for an order of
PROHIBITION, on the application of the Appellants filed on the 18/12/95 seeking
the relief against the National House of Chiefs, Kumasi, prohibiting the House
from relying upon or otherwise enforcing a report dated the 28th day of May
1992, issued by the Committee of the House in respect of the Akyem Aduasa
Stool. <o:p></o:p>In
a nutshell, the facts of the matter which gave rise to these proceedings, are
that since 1982, there has been a chieftaincy dispute involving the Aduasa
stool, a substool under the Akyem Abuakwa Paramount Stool, in the Eastern
Region of Ghana. <o:p></o:p>Attempts
made in several fora, to effect an amicable settlement of the dispute were a
futile exercise. <o:p></o:p>In
1983, while the dispute remained unsettled, the elders of Aduasa, enstooled a
new Chief of ADUASA, under the stool name of NANA ABROKWA GYAMPIM IV. <o:p></o:p>As
a result of the installation of NANA ABROKWA GYAMPIN IV, the ex-Queen Mother,
who had apparently been destooled in 1982, for her rudeness and discourtesy
towards the office of the Okyenhene, instituted proceedings at the Eastern
Regional House of Chief, against the new Chief, on the ground that he was not a
Royal and, therefore, not eligible to occupy the Aduasa stool. <o:p></o:p>The
Respondents took objection to the jurisdiction of the Regional House of Chiefs,
and boycotted the proceedings before the House. The House nevertheless
proceeded, and gave judgment in favour of the Petitioner on 13/6/1988. <o:p></o:p>On
the 28/7/1989, the High Court Koforidua, presided over by Mr. Justice Moses
Abeka, quashed the decision of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, for want
of jurisdiction. <o:p></o:p>After
the High Court’s decision, the Queen Mother succeeded in getting the
chieftaincy secretariat to request the National House of Chiefs (per a letter
dated the 29th/12/89), to investigate what was referred to as the “intractable
and harmful dispute” over the succession to the Aduasa stool; and on the basis
of this letter, the National House of Chiefs embarked on an enquiry pursuant to
Section 3 of the chieftaincy Act, 1971, (Act 370). <o:p></o:p>The
terms of reference of the inquiry are set out at Page 1 of the Report of the
National House of Chiefs dated the 28/7/92 annexed to the application as
Exhibit OSA 4. It can be found at Page 64 of the Record. It is reproduced
verbatim (below) as follows: <o:p></o:p>“To
find out: <o:p></o:p>1.
Whether, as alleged by the Petitioner, Mr. Akyeampong, alias Nana Abrokwa
Gyampim IV, one of the two chiefs-elect, and his family are entitled to occupy
the Aduasa Stool. <o:p></o:p>2.
Whether, as alleged by the Petitioners, the said Mr. Akyeampong, and his family
have a stool at Aduasa, which is a sub-stool to the main Aduasa stool; and
whether it is contrary to custom for those entitled to sit on this stool, to
occupy the Aduasa stool. <o:p></o:p>3.
To examine the procedure for nomination, election and installation of each of
the rival chiefs-elect. <o:p></o:p>4.
To investigate any other matters which are relevant to the matters in issue. <o:p></o:p>5.
To advise the Government as to whether the Petitioners complaints are
justified, for the Government to take the necessary remedial action in the
circumstances.” <o:p></o:p>At
the initial stages of the enquiry by the National House of Chiefs a preliminary
objection was taken on behalf of the Applicants, as to the competence of the
House to hold an enquiry in connection with a matter affecting a substool in
Akyem Abuakwa, over which only the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council, had
original jurisdiction, since the Paramount Chief the late Osagyefo Kuntukunuku,
one of the origin</main>