The Supreme Court, exercising its supervisory jurisdiction, has unanimously overturned a ruling by the High Court—subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal—which ordered the inclusion of Nii Tackie Adama Latse II’s name in the National House of Chiefs registry as Ga Mantse.
The dispute stems from a chieftaincy controversy heard by the Judicial Committee of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs over the rightful occupant of the Ga Mantse stool.
King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II was enstooled in 2020, but his claim to the title was contested by Nii Tackie Adama Latse II, who claims to have been previously enstooled in 2017.
Following proceedings at the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, Nii Tackie Adama Latse II’s name was removed from the National House of Chiefs’ register of chiefs.
His legal team then filed a mandamus application at the High Court, seeking an order to compel the National House of Chiefs to re-enter his name into the registry.
The High Court granted the application, a decision that was later affirmed by the Court of Appeal after the National House of Chiefs challenged it.
However, lawyers for King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, led by Prof. Peter Atudiwe Atupare, filed a certiorari application at the Supreme Court, asking it to quash the decisions of the lower courts.
King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II argued that his right to natural justice had been breached, as he was not made a party to the proceedings at either the High Court or the Court of Appeal.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court by a unanimous decision upheld his application, quashing both lower court decisions and dismissing the order to include Nii Tackie Adama Latse II’s name in the registry of chiefs.
