A petition has been filed before the Judicial Committee of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs at Dodowa, challenging the nomination, election and installation of Dr. Jo Blankson into membership of the Ga Traditional Council (GTC) as Ga Mantse under the stool name, King Tackie Tawiah III. The petition, filed at the GTC, by Joseph Yaya Addy, in his capacity as the Acting Head of Family of Abola (Tunnma We) of the Ga Royal Stool Dzase through his counsel Mr. Bright O. Akwetey names those affected by the action as: The Ga Traditional Council, Dr. Jo Blankson a.k.a. King Tackie Tawiah III, Nii Tetteh Ashong, David Armah Tackie a.k.a. Nii Akropong and Odehekpakpa, King Odaifio Welentse III. According to the petitioner, succession to the Ga Royal Stool by rotation since 1944 has been as follows: Nii Tackie Tawiah II (1944 -1947) Teiko Tsuru We; Nii Tackie Komey II (1948-1962) - Tackie Komey We; Nii Amugi II (1965 - 2005) - Amugi We; Yet to be nominated (2007) - Abola Piam We. According to the petitioner, after the burial of Nii Amugi II, it is the turn of Abola Piam (Tunnma We) to ascend to the Ga Paramount Stool adding that the Ga Royal Stool Dzase has formally presented customary drinks to Abola Piam (Tunnma We) requesting the latter to nominate and present candidates for selection and election by the former. The Abola Piam head of family argues that unless Dr. Jo Blankson a.k.a. King Tackie Tawiah III is restrained from styling and holding himself out as a Ga Mantse and from executing or carrying activities attributable to a Ga Mantse, it would be fruitless to nominate anyone from Abola Piam for pre¬sentation to the Gyase as Ga Mantse. Furthermore, he said Abola Piam (Tunnma We) would therefore suffer loss and deprivation of an unimagin¬able magnitude, which must be averted. Mr. Addy avers that the purported nomination and installation of Jo Blankson as Ga Mantse was done by only his Head of Family, the Nai Wulomo and the Ga Seitse. The Petitioner therefore seeks a decla¬ration that the purported nomination, election and installation of Dr. Jo B1ankson a.k.a. King Taekie Tawiah III as Ga Mantse by Nii Akropong, Nii Tetteh Ashong and Numo Tete III, Nai Wulomo, was done in violation of Ga customary law, tradition, convention and usage, and is therefore null and void. Mr. Addy also seeks a declaration that the induction of Dr. Jo Blankson a.k.a. King Tackie Tawiah III by the Ga Traditional Council into its membership on 26th February 2007 is contrary to Ga customary law, tradition, convention and usage, and is therefore null and void The Petitioner seeks from the GTC a declaration that Dr. Jo Blankson a.k.a King Tackie Tawiah III is not qualified, or in other words he is ineligible to be nominated, elected and installed as Ga Mantse. He is again seeking a declaration that. no proper Ga customary rites have been performed by the appropriate traditional office holders, including the Sakumo Wulomo for the said Dr. Jo Blankson a.k.a. King Tackie Tawiah III and he is therefore, not qualified to sit on the Ga Mantse Stool. Mr. Addy prays the GTC, that by the judgment of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs dated 13th September 1988 in the matter of James Aryeekwei Lartey & others vrs. E.O. Tackie and others, succession to the Ga Royal Stool is by rotation and therefore after the death of Nii Amugi II it is the turn of Abola Piam. The Petitioner further wants a declara¬tion that the Ga Royal Stool Dzase, to the exclusion of all others, is the sole traditional body clothed with authority and power to elect and install a Mantse for presentation to the Ga Traditional Council and therefore Dr. Jo Blankson a.k.a. King Tackie Tawiah III’s membership of the Ga Traditional Council, is void. Furthermore, he seeks a declaration that 'it is not the function of the Ga Traditional Council to determine who is the Ga Mantse. Mr. Addy wants a perpetual injunction to restrain Dr. Jo Blankson a.k.a. King Tackie Tawiah III from styling and or holding himself out as the Ga Mantse or performing any customary or traditional functions or activities as Ga Mantse, his sitting in the Ga Traditional Council as a member of the said Council, or performing any functions or activities in the capacity of Ga Mantse. Again he wants an injunction restraining the GTC, any persons acting for or on its behalf, from nominating, electing or installing any other person as Ga Mantse and any further or other reliefs that to the Judicial Committee will serve to restore honour, respect, integrity and dignity to the Ga Royal Stool and restore respect for the authority and power of the Ga Royal Stool Dzase. The petitioner states that he has reason to believe and can prove that the GTC is the statutory body set up to administer the affairs of chiefs and traditional office holders in the Ga state whilst Dr. Jo Blankson a.k.a. King Tackie Tawiah III has been styling and hold¬ing himself out publicly as Ga Mantse from June 2006. According to him, Nii Tetteh Ashong has been performing the customary rites as Seitse in the Ga Royal Stool Room in Abola, Accra. Additionally, the petitioner indicated that David Armah Tackie a.k.a. Nii Akropong, until recently was the head of Teiko Tsuru We, one of the four ( 4) ruling houses of the Ga Royal Stool Dzase, whilst Odehe Kpakpa Odaifio Welentse III. hails from "Ayiku We" in Nungua and styles himself and holds himself out publicly as Nungua Mantse. Credit: The Chronicle