House Of Suits

… W/R House of Chiefs Inundated With Legal Actions
From Alfred Adams, Sekondi
The Western Regional House of Chiefs has been hit by a series of law suits, which have affected an election to elect leaders to steer affairs of the House for the next four years.

Credible information available to The Chronicle indicates that all the regional houses of chiefs have conducted an election to elect their leaders, except that of the Western Region.

The development, which has become a source of embarrassment, has reportedly compelled the Regional Minister, Paul Evans Aidoo, to intervene by way of seeking amicable resolutions of the grievances.

Three injunction motions have so far been served on the house, precluding it from going ahead to elect the President, Vice President and representatives into the National House of Chiefs (NHC).

The presidency of the House is being fiercely contested by Nana Kwesi Agyemang IV, Omanhene of Lower Dixcove and Acting President of the House, and Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi, Paramount Chief of Sefwi Anhwiaso.

Awulae Amihere Kpanyile III, Paramount Chief of Atuabo and Okogyeaman Kwaku Gyamprah are both running for the vice president slot, whilst nine others are in the race to be elected as representatives into the National House of Chiefs (NHC).

The NHC Act prescribes an election of the regional houses to be held every four years. So far, all the Regional Houses of Chiefs have held their election, except that of the Western Regional House.

It would be recalled that an attempt made by the WRHC to elect it leaders last Thursday was thrown into state of confusion, after the house was served with an injunction notice.

Ebusuapayin Egya Ackah, a Chief from Awiaso, according to sources, had gone to court for an injunction to retrain Nana Kwesi Agyemang and Awulae Amihere Kpanyile, who are contesting to become President and Vice President of the house respectively.

Egya Ackah is claiming, in his injunction against Nana Kwesi Agyemang, that he should not be allowed to preside over a meeting or election that would seek to elect Awulae Amihere Kpanyile to any position in the house.

In the case of Awulae Amihere Kpanyile, Paramount Chief of Atuabo, the petitioner is challenging the name 'Kpanyile' as used by the Omanhene. The petitioner claims the name 'Kpanyile' was alien to the Atuabo Stool, and must, therefore, not be allowed to contest the presidency.

The Omanhene of Gwira Traditional Area, Awulae Angamatuo-Gyan III, has also suffered a similar injunction from one of the traditional elders of the Gwira Area.

The Queenmother of the area had served an injunction notice on the Omanhene, precluding him from taking part in the voting to elect members of the house, and also to put himself up to be elected into the NHC.

The Queenmother, in her motion claimed the Gwira Omanhene Stool was a subject of litigation currently at both the National House of Chiefs (NHC) and Supreme Court.

Therefore, taking part in the election to elect members of the WRHC would amount to confirmation as the rightful Omanhene of the Gwira Traditional Area. With Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi, Paramount Chief of Sefwi Anhwiaso, who is in the presidential race, he said no injunction motion had been served on him.

Meanwhile, The Chronicle can report that if the attempts being made to have the aggrieved factions withdraw their injunctions to pave way for the election flounders, the contestants (parties) whom injunction the notices have been served on would be asked to step aside for new nominees.

A highly placed source at the WRHC, who did not want to be named, confirmed the latest development to this paper. According to the source, the house was far behind time to elect its leaders, as a result, if the peace initiatives failed, the affected chiefs would be asked to step down from the race.

The source went ahead and named the Regional Minister, Paul Evans Aidoo, as the one brokering the peace among the factions to withdraw the injunction motions from the court. Counsel for the WRHC, Mr. Sam Kweku-Amoah, confirmed to journalists the injunctions against the said chiefs.