THE REPUBLIC vs. HIGH COURT, ACCRA EX-PARTE THE ADA TRADITIONAL COUNCIL AND ANOTHER [2016]DLSC2880

THE REPUBLIC vs. HIGH COURT, ACCRA EX-PARTE THE ADA TRADITIONAL COUNCIL AND ANOT... [2016]DLSC2880

Date	2016-02-17
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. J5/48/2015
Citation No.	[2016]DLSC2880

ATUGUBA JSC (PRESIDING)

ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC

YEBOAH JSC

BENIN JSC

AKAMBA JSC

JOSEPH NICOLAS NKRUMAH ESQ. FOR THE APPLICANT.

J. A. LARKAI INTERESTED PARTY.

[2016]DLSC2880
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>HIGH COURT, ACCRA<o:p></o:p>EX-PARTE THE ADA
TRADITIONAL COUNCIL AND ANOTHER<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. J5/48/2015&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: 17TH
FEBUARY, 2016<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>JOSEPH NICOLAS NKRUMAH&nbsp;&nbsp;
ESQ.&nbsp; FOR THE APPLICANT.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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&nbsp;J.&nbsp;
A.&nbsp; LARKAI INTERESTED PARTY.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:
<o:p></o:p>ATUGUBA JSC (PRESIDING), ADINYIRA (MRS) JSC, YEBOAH JSC,
BENIN JSC, AND AKAMBA JSC<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border-top:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center;border:none;
mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGEMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>ATUGUBA,
JSC: <o:p></o:p>FACTS<o:p></o:p>The Applicant moves this court “for an order of
certiorari directed at the High Court, Accra to bring forth and to be quashed
the Ruling of the Court presided over by Her Ladyship Justice Barbara Ward
Acquah (Mrs.), on the ground that the High Court erred in exercising
jurisdiction over the Ada Traditional Council, it not being its judicial
committee.<o:p></o:p>The crux of this matter is that the Kabiawetsu
clan of Big Ada, allegedly nominated and installed Nomo Jonathan Dzabeku
Abodoadzi as the Divisional Chief (Wetsoyi) in succession to the last deceased
Wetsoyi of the said clan.&nbsp; The applicant,
the Ada Traditional Council was notified of this installation and a date was
fixed for the presentation of the new Wetsoyi to it, but the event was
postponed.&nbsp; However on the 7th
day of January 2013, the applicant rather had one Haruna Ocansey presented to
it as the new Wetsoyi.<o:p></o:p>Aggrieved, the Interested Party successfully
applied and quashed the decision of the Ada Traditional Council by certiorari
order of the High Court Accra, presided over by Mrs. Barbara Ward Acquah J,
dated the 24th day of July, 2015. <o:p></o:p>It is against this order that this present
application, aforesaid, has been brought.<o:p></o:p>The applicant’s contention is that it is not
amenable to the supervisory jurisdiction of this court in a smuch as it is rather
its judicial committee which is an inferior court and thus amendable to our
said jurisdiction.<o:p></o:p>We curtail this matter on the ground that the
aforementioned application to the High Court presided over by Mrs. Barbara Ward
Acquah J manifestly related to a cause or matter concerning chieftaincy, as it
plainly was based on the question as to who was the rightful Divisional Chief
or Wetsoyi nominated and installed by the Kubiawetsu clan.&nbsp; This is plain from s. 76(a) of the
Chieftaincy Act, 2008, Act 759.&nbsp; The High
Court therefore lacked jurisdiction over the matter.<o:p></o:p>See In re Wa-Na; Republic v. Fijoli-Na; Ex parte
Yakubu and others (1987-88)1 GLR 180 C.A.<o:p></o:p>For all the foregoing reasons the application is
granted.&nbsp; Let the order of the High Court,
Accra presided over by Mrs. Barbara Ward Acquah J dated the 24th day
of July 2015 be brought up before this court to be quashed and the same is
hereby quashed.<o:p></o:p>&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;(SGD)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; W.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;A.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;ATUGUBA<o:p></o:p>&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; JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT<o:p></o:p>&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;(SGD)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;S.
&nbsp;&nbsp;O. &nbsp;&nbsp;A.&nbsp; &nbsp;ADINYIRA
(MRS)<o:p></o:p>