NANA YEBOAH-KODIE ASARE II AND NANA KWAME SARFO KANTANKA vs. NANA KWAKU ADDAI AND OTHERS [2014]DLSC2994

NANA YEBOAH-KODIE ASARE II AND NANA KWAME SARFO KANTANKA vs. NANA KWAKU ADDAI AN... [2014]DLSC2994

Date	2014-05-21
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J2/2/2013
Citation No.	[2014]DLSC2994

ANSAH JSC (PRESIDING)

ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC

DOTSE JSC

ANIN-YEBOAH JSC

AKAMBA JSC

ASANTE KROBEA ESQ. FOR THE DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS/ APPELLANTS/APPELLANTS.

KWEKU PAINTSIL ESQ. FOR THE PLAINTIFFS/APPELLANTS/ RESPONDENTS/RESPONDENTS.

[2014]DLSC2994
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >NANA YEBOAH-KODIE ASARE II AND NANA KWAME
SARFO KANTANKA<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>NANA KWAKU ADDAI AND OTHERS<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. J2/2/2013&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE: 21ST
MAY, 2014<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>ASANTE
KROBEA ESQ. FOR THE DEFENDANTS/RESPONDENTS/ APPELLANTS/APPELLANTS.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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KWEKU PAINTSIL ESQ. FOR THE
PLAINTIFFS/APPELLANTS/ RESPONDENTS/RESPONDENTS.<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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ANSAH JSC (PRESIDING), ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC,
DOTSE JSC, ANIN-YEBOAH JSC, AKAMBA JSC<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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JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>JONES&nbsp; DOTSE, J.S.C.<o:p></o:p>Article 277 of the Constitution, 1992 provides as
follows:-<o:p></o:p>“A Chief
is a person who hailing from the
appropriate family and lineage, has been validly nominated, elected or
selected and enstooled, enskinned or installed as a Chief or queen mother in
accordance with relevant customary law and usage.”<o:p></o:p>The Chieftaincy Act, 2008 (Act 759) also repeats
verbatim the said definition of a Chief in section 57 (1) thereof.<o:p></o:p>From the above definition of a Chief, the
following are essential ingredients and pre-requisites:-<o:p></o:p>i.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
person must qualify to be a Chief, in that, he or she must hail from &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; the appropriate family or lineage. In
other words, to qualify to be a &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Chief,
you must first be a royal to start with.
<o:p></o:p>See also article 181 of the Constitution 1979
which also defined a chief in pari materia as the definition in article 277 of
the Constitution 1992 already referred to supra. Despite the fact that the
P.N.D.C Establishment Proclamation abrogated the Constitution, 1979, the same
Proclamation recognised and retained the definition of a Chief contained in
article 181 of the Constitution 1979.<o:p></o:p>This was the position until P.N.D.C Law 107 was
enacted in 1985 which purported to amend section 48 (1) of the Chieftaincy Act,
1970, Act 370. It is unclear whether the amendment of this section 48 (1) &amp;
(2) of Act 370 by P.N.D.C Law 107 had any effect, since the retention of the
original constitutional provision retaining article 181 of the Constitution
1979 was contained in the P.N.D.C Establishment Proclamation 1981 as amended by
P.N.D.C Law 42, section 53 (2) thereof.<o:p></o:p>In terms of interpretation, an ordinary statute
like P.N.D.C law 107 cannot amend the P.N.D.C Establishment Proclamation. It
follows therefore that the definition of a chief as contained in article 181 of
the Constitution 1979 continued during all times material to the circumstances
of this case, up to and including the coming into force of the Constitution
1992 on 7th January 1992. <o:p></o:p>The definition of a chief contained in article 277
of the Constitution 1992 will therefore be deemed applicable to the status of a
chief at all times material to the circumstances of this case.<o:p></o:p>ii.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
person must have been nominated as a Chief.<o:p></o:p>iii.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
person must have been elected or selected as a Chief and finally <o:p></o:p>iv.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The
person must have been taken through the ceremony of enstoolment, &nbsp;&nbsp; enskinnment or installation as a Chief
according to the relevant customary &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; practices
<o:p></o:p>The reason we have made reference to article 277
of the Constitution and the other constitutional and statutory provisions is to
hone the issue that arises for determination in this Chieftaincy appeal. This is the issue of whether a person who
has no real connection or at all to royalty can aspire to Chiefly office either
through his own machinations or by the deliberate acts of others such as has
happened in this case.<o:p></o:p>