Akufo-Addo Causes Anger In Accra

...Over His Visit To ?Ga Mantse?
...Govt Accused of Irresponsibly Propping Up Illegality

A visit by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to Dr. Jo Blankson-Lartey, the man who last year coronated himself as the 'Ga Mantse' of Ga Mashie, has stirred it hornet's nest of anger among a section of Ga Royalty, The Daily Searchlight can reveal.

They have accused Nana Addo and the NPP government of persistently and illegally seeking to prop up an illegality over the Ga people by associating with Dr. Blankson-Lartey, including allowing to parade in the corridors of power as the Ga Mantse when they know that he is yet to be gazetted, with numerous litigations questioning his legitimacy still pending.

A letter fired to The Daily Searchlight over the weekend, 'The continued unlawful parade of Dr. Jo Blankson-Lartey as Ga Mantse and the risk of official support for a pretender? and signed by Nii Yaote Oto-Ga II, Ga Dzaasetse of the Ga Paramount Stool accused the ruling party and certain key officials of deliberately and blithely and seeking to foment trouble in Ga Mashie. Nii Yaote Oto-Ga II is one of two claimants in Accra to the position of the Ga Paramount Stool Dzaase. Both are descendants of the royal Amugi We, one of the ruling houses of Accra.

According to Nii Yaote Oto-Ga II, the Ga paramount Stool Dzaase is constrained in commenting on newspaper reports of the 'Pretender', Dr Jo Blankson-Lartey's presence at the birthday party of the President of the Republic during which Dr Blankson-Lartey was described as 'Ga Mantse'. Much as we recognize that this was a private function we also note that in spite of the President's avowed neutrality in the Ga Stool dispute, machinations continue to avert the course of justice by assisting the continued parade of Dr Jo Blankson-Lartey as 'Ga Mantse' by officialdom," Nii Yaote Oto-Ga II wrote.

He stressed that the position of the Ga Paramount Stool Dzaase was that there is no Ga Mantse in Ga Mashie. "All pretenders and charlatans must he treated with contempt," he said. He said that prior to the reception at the birthday party of the President, their perception had been that the President had instructed, particularly before the so-called 'coronation' event, that the Ga Traditional Council that had invited him to the ceremony needed to ensure that all pending disputes against Dr Blankson-Lartey had been resolved. Subsequent events have consistently proven that government funcfionaries, particularly the Regional backed by State Security," Nii Yaote Oto-Ga II wrote.

They stated that again, regrettably, during the ill-fated campaign of the Vice-President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama for the presidential slot of the ruling party, he also paid a well-publicized call on Jo Blankson in his alleged capacity as Ga Mantse showing no respect whatsoever for the sensibilities of the Ga people. "Further events, including another courtesy call on Jo Blankson by Nana Akufo-Addo in his capacity as flag bearer of the ruling party have shown uniform and irresponsible support for Jo Blankson-Lartey by key elements in government in their attempt to prop up the illegality and fraud perpetrated by Dr. Jo Blankson-Lartey in imposing himself on the Ga people as a self-styled Ga Mantse," Nii Yaote Oto-Ga II stated. He warned that all persons involved may either wittingly or unwittingly be aiding Jo Blankson-Lartey?s obsession with destabilising the Ga State. "All post-mortem succession is primarily based on consanguinity or blood. The Ga Mantse must hail from Abola in Ga Mashie. Both parents of Dr Blankson-Lartey do not hail from Abola. In the event he neither qualifies patrilineally nor matrilineally for selection as Ga Mantse.

Neither Blankson nor Lartey is an Abola name; and in fact the Blanksons and Larteys of Ga Mashie come nowhere near royalty. It has been expertly stated by John Mensah Sarbah, Nii Amaa Ollennu as well as other eminent jurists that a matrilineal family consists of all persons lineally descended from a remote ancestress in an unbroken female line," Nii Yaote Oto-Ga II stated. He said that the female line of Jo Blankson is at Asere Djorshie where his mother hailed, not Abola. "Besides, the Ga Paramount Stool Dzaase, the only body of kingmakers with exclusive right to enstool a Ga Mantse has never enstooled Jo Blankson. In fact, it is not even the turn of the Abola household whose sponsorship Jo Blankson claims to provide a Ga Mantse.

His very temerity has sown seeds of bitterness in that ruling house several of whose senior members have filed a lawsuit against him. In a word, Dr Jo Blankson-Lartey has shown himself to be the most divisive personality in traditional Accra for well over a century. We make a mockery of ourselves and God?s very gifts of conscience and fairness when in spite of glaring facts, we choose to support untruth. Indeed, it is only by means of a veritable coup de etat in customary law that a man like Jo Blankson can be Ga Mantse. This is not the sort of line we expect State officials to toe," he said.

Nii Yaote Oto-Ga II stated that as law abiding citizens they have invoked the appropriate legal processes to pronounce on the illegality perpetrated by Jo Blankson who is neither of the appropriate lineages to be Ga Mantse nor has been gazetted, as required by law, to be called Ga Mantse. "Respect for the rule of law requires a proper and speedy legal resolution of the claims made in at least six separate lawsuits against Jo Blankson by prominent personalities and institutions within the Ga State, including the Ga Paramount Stool Dzaase," he wrote.

He said that it has been their prayer that Dr Jo Blankson, after being served with notice of legal actions against his purported installation, will demonstrate good sense of leadership, humility and recognition of the rule of law and desist from his actions while he awaits the outcome of the legal processes before the Judicial Committee of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs at Dodowa. "It is also appropriate that officialdom must be seen to be manifestly neutral under all circumstances to avoid dragging the name of the President into disrepute," he wrote.

Nii Yaote Oto-Ga II assured all Ga Mashie and GaDangme people, as well as all broadminded Ghanaians that the sanctity of their cherished traditions and customs will be defended by all legitimate means. "God is on the side of Truth and the Truth will prevail no matter the forces in complicity to destroy our heritage. We wish all GaDangme people AFI OO AFI with a firm belief that we shall overcome in the New Year. Politicians are advised to steer clear of our tradi?tional processes," Nii Yaote Oto-Ga II concluded.