THE REPUBLIC vs. NATIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS KUMASI EXPARTE; ODENEHO AKROFA KRUKOKO II AND OSAGYEFO KWAMENA ENIMIL VI [2013]DLSC2740

THE REPUBLIC vs. NATIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS KUMASI EXPARTE; ODENEHO AKROFA KRUKOKO... [2013]DLSC2740

Date	2013-01-30
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J8/8/2013
Citation No.	[2013]DLSC2740

ATUGUBA J.S.C. (PRESIDING)

ADINYIRA (MRS.) J.S.C.

BAFFOE-BONNIE J.S.C.

GBADEGBE J.S.C.

AKOTO-BAMFO (MRS.) J.S.C.

W. A. N. ADUMUA BOSSMAN FOR THE APPLICANT.

MRS. SYLVIA OPARE FOR THE RESPONDENT.

E. K. AMUA-SEKYI FOR THE INTERESTED PARTY

[2013]DLSC2740
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>NATIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS KUMASI<o:p></o:p>EXPARTE; ODENEHO AKROFA KRUKOKO II AND OSAGYEFO KWAMENA ENIMIL
VI<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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CIVIL
APPEAL NO. J8/8/2013&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;DATE: 30TH JANUARY, 2013<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>W. A. N. ADUMUA BOSSMAN
FOR THE APPLICANT.<o:p></o:p>MRS. SYLVIA OPARE FOR THE
RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

E.
K. AMUA-SEKYI FOR THE INTERESTED PARTY<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p>ATUGUBA J.S.C.
(PRESIDING), ADINYIRA (MRS.) J.S.C., BAFFOE-BONNIE J.S.C., GBADEGBE J.S.C., AKOTO-BAMFO
(MRS.) J.S.C. &nbsp;<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:115%;
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solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>ATUGUBA, J.S.C.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The
applicant moves this court for:<o:p></o:p>“an
order of interlocutory injunction restraining the Interested
Party/Respondent/Respondent herein from holding himself out in any manner
whatsoever whether by himself, his servants, agents, privies whomsoever or
otherwise howsoever, to be the Omanhene of Wassa Fiasse Traditional Area, and/
or a member of the Western Region House of Chiefs, and/or a member of the
National House of Chiefs, pending the hearing and determination of the said Applicant’s
appeal …”<o:p></o:p>The
brief facts of this matter are that the applicant was destooled in 2002 as the
Omanhene of Wassa Traditional Area consequent upon his committal to prison for
contempt of court and the Interested Party was enstooled to replace him.<o:p></o:p>The
applicant was also sued in the Western Regional House of Chiefs for inter alia,
declaration and injuction that he was no longer the Omanhene of Wassa Fiase
Traditional Area and should cease from posing as such Omanhene. The applicant
did not file any defence and did not partake in the proceedings despite
opportunity extended to him to do so. Accordingly, the plaintiffs led evidence
upon which the reliefs claimed were granted against him.<o:p></o:p>Undaunted,
the applicant applied to the High Court, Kumasi, unsuccessfully for mandamus
directed at the National House of Chiefs to remove the said Interested Party’s
name from the Register of Chiefs and insert his name therein. His appeal to the
Court of Appeal was dismissed, affirming the trial judge’s ruling that the matter
was a cause or matter affecting chieftaincy over which the ordinary courts have
no jurisdiction.<o:p></o:p>He
has appealed to this court and pending the determination of the same now
applies for an injunction against the Interested Party in the terms aforementioned.
<o:p></o:p>The
Judgment of the Western Regional House of Chiefs against the applicant
aforementioned is dated 11/6/2010 and the applicant has attached it as
exhibited OAK4 to his affidavit in support of this application and is relied on
by both parties. The said judgment was not appealed against by the applicant
and is therefore valid and subsisting.<o:p></o:p>It
is trite law that a judgement of even the lowest court of competent
jurisdiction is binding on the parties and can be pleaded as res judicata in all courts, see Otu v. Owuodzi (1987-88) 1 GLR 196 S.C.
This means the said judgment against the applicant herein is at least, prima facie, against his claim. In Luganda v. Service Hotels Ltd (1969) 2
All ER 692 C.A. it was held that injunctions restraining some persons from
evicting the plaintiff from certain premises were rightly given since the
plaintiff was prima facie entitled to
the protection of the Rent Act 1968.<o:p></o:p>Certainly
therefore if it be right to grant an injunction to protect a person with a prima facie right to the res litiga (I do not thereby necessarily
say that such prima facie right is a sine qua non to the grant of an
injunction) it cannot be right to grant an injunction to the prejudice of the
Interested Party herein who has a prima
facie right to act as the Omanhene of the Wassa Traditional area, by dint
of the aforementioned subsisting judgment of the Western Regional House of
Chiefs.<o:p></o:p>Again
it is a trite maxim of Equity that Vigilantibus
et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. Injunction is an equitable remedy. It
should not be open to the applicant who since his destoolment in 2002 never
sought that relief until 12/10/2012 when he filed this application.<o:p></o:p>For
all these reasons, this application is dismissed. <o:p></o:p>