King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II has submitted a request to the Supreme Court seeking to annul the directive issued to the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi for the reinstatement of Nii Tackie Adama Latse II on the national chiefs’ register as the Ga Mantse.
In a certiorari motion, Nii Teiko Tsuru also seeks for the highest court to overturn the decision of the Court of Appeal, which upheld the High Court’s earlier ruling that mandated the restoration of Nii Adama Latse’s name in November 2021.
The application, filed by the legal representative of the Ga Mantse, Professor Peter A. Atupare, contends that the High Court judge, Justice Frederick Tetteh, did not provide Nii Tackie Teiko with notice or an opportunity to be heard before issuing the order to restore Nii Adama Latse’s name, thus breaching the principles of natural justice.
The High Court, it asserts, neglected to grant Nii Tackie Teiko his constitutional right to be heard in proceedings that significantly impacted his rights and interests as Ga Mantse.
Furthermore, the counsel argued that the Court of Appeal, which included Justices Georgina Mensah-Datsa, Eric Baah, and Kwamina Baiden, made a legal error by upholding the High Court’s ruling despite the lower court lacking the jurisdiction to arrive at such conclusions.
The counsel also pointed out that the High Court’s ruling in Kumasi, which was confirmed by the Court of Appeal, violates the Wednesbury principle and leads to an absurd and unreasonable situation where two individuals have their names listed in the National Register of Chiefs as Ga Mantse.
The motion is scheduled to be presented on Wednesday, July 23, of this year.
In the meantime, the National House of Chiefs in Kumasi has lodged a request for a stay of execution while the Court of Appeal considers their application for special leave to appeal the judgment rendered by the second highest court at the Supreme Court.
On June 12 of this year, the Court of Appeal mandated the National House of Chiefs to reinstate Nii Adama Latse on the national chiefs’ register as the Ga Mantse (the Paramount Chief of the Ga State) within a period of 14 days. This followed the Court’s affirmation of a High Court decision that initially issued the order in November 2021.
In a unanimous decision, the three-member panel of the second-highest court in the country determined that the National House of Chiefs had removed Nii Adama Latse’s name from the register without any evidence that he had been legitimately destooled, which is a necessary condition for removing a chief’s name from the national register.
“The National House of Chiefs, Kumasi, eliminated Nii Latse II’s name from the national register without any proof of his death, deposition, abdication, or any directive from an adjudicatory body mandating the removal of his name.
“The action taken by the National House of Chiefs, Kumasi, was beyond their authority, constituted an abuse of power, and represented a misapplication of discretion, thereby resulting in a legal error,” ruled the three-member panel of the court as they dismissed the appeal of the National House of Chiefs, Kumasi, against the High Court’s November 2021 decision.
In April 2021, Nii Adama Latse discovered that his name had been removed from the National Register. To verify his status, counsel for Nii Adama Latse filed a request with the National House of Chiefs, Kumasi, which confirmed that his name had indeed been expunged.
He subsequently instructed his lawyer to draft a letter of objection, demanding the reinstatement of his name in the register by April 27, 2021, but the National House of Chiefs, Kumasi, declined his request.
Following this, Nii Adama Latse, whose name was originally included in the register after submitting his enstoolment form from the Ga Traditional Council, initiated a motion for judicial review at the High Court in Kumasi, seeking an order for the National House of Chiefs, Kumasi, to restore his name as the Ga Mantse in the register.
This request was granted by the High Court, but dissatisfied with the ruling, the National House of Chiefs, Kumasi, appealed to the Court of Appeal to contest the High Court’s decision that mandated the restoration of Nii Adama Latse’s name in the register.
Their principal argument was that the High Court was not the appropriate venue for seeking a judicial review; thus, it lacked the jurisdiction to hear the case.
This appeal has since been dismissed by the Court of Appeal, which upheld the High Court’s order for the restoration of Nii Adama Latse’s name.
Statement
In a press release issued on June 13, 2025, the Office of King Tackie Teiko Tsuru refuted assertions that the ruling grants chieftaincy legitimacy to Nii Adama Latse.
It emphasized that the judiciary does not possess the jurisdiction to resolve issues concerning chieftaincy titles, which fall exclusively under the authority of the Judicial Committees of the Traditional Councils as well as the Regional and National Houses of Chiefs.
“The Court of Appeal did not and could not declare Nii Adama Latse II as Ga Mantse,” the statement clarified.
“The court merely upheld an administrative order — specifically, an order of mandamus compelling the National House of Chiefs to adhere to proper legal procedures in managing or removing names from the National Register,” it stated, adding that the core issue regarding who rightfully holds the Ga Mantse Stool remains unresolved and is still pending before the Judicial Committee of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs.
The statement further urged the media and the public to exercise caution regarding the widespread interpretations of the ruling.
“We encourage all concerned citizens and residents of the Ga State to remain calm and not be misled by misinformation,” the statement concluded.
