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By Paul Mamattah
The Teshie Traditional Council, has condemned what they describe as attempts by a claimant to the Ga Paramount Overlord position to impose a neo-Ga State Council, calling the move unconstitutional, unlawful, and an affront to the established chieftaincy structure in Ghana.
Addressing a press conference in Teshie on November 20, 2025, the Teshie Atofotse and member of the Teshie Traditional Council, Shibulɔ Nii Martey Sanshie IV, said the conduct of the Ga Overlord claimant amounted to an insult and a slap in the face of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana and the Chieftaincy Act, 2008 (Act 759).
He emphasized that the Constitution clearly states that no authority can override or detract from the functions of any entrenched unit of the Chieftaincy Institution, and that any attempt to resurrect the defunct Ga State Council contradicts established law.
The Council declared its outright rejection of the proposed neo-Ga State Council, stating that it has no legal basis, no mandate, and no operational structures to ensure transparency or accountability.
“We hereby register our objection and abhorrence to the neo-Ga State Council proposition as being an affront to law and order. We shall not support any unlawful parallel institution,” he stated.
The Council reaffirmed its full confidence and support for the 1992 Constitution, the Chieftaincy Act of 2008, and all statutory structures that govern traditional leadership.
The Council grounded its objection in history and law, recalling that the Ga State Council was originally created under the Native Authority Ordinance (1927) but was abolished in 1961 and replaced with the National House of Chiefs, Regional Houses of Chiefs, and Traditional Councils.
Quoting the Ga Traditional Council Committee of Inquiry (1975), Shibulɔ Nii Martey Sanshie IV, noted that the Ga Mantse has never been the customary overlord of the sovereign towns of Osu, La, Teshie, Nungua, and Tema.
The inquiry found no custom requiring these traditional areas to recognise the Ga Mantse as their overlord or to seek his approval for enstoolments.
The press conference also traced the historical independence of the six Ga towns, arguing that they existed as sovereign states with their own stools, chiefs, and judicial authority before colonial rule.
Shibulɔ Nii Martey Sanshie IV, cited historical battles such as the Akwamu War, Angula War, and Katamanso War, asserting that Teshie warriors played decisive roles in defending Ga territories.
The Chiefs recalled various abuses attributed to the old Ga State Council, including misconduct in the 1941 Teshie Stool Succession case, as well as the alleged fraudulent actions of certain chiefs, which contributed to the council’s abolition.
“There was great jubilation when the State Council (Abolition) Act, 1961, was passed,” Shibulɔ Nii Martey Sanshie IV said, adding that the Ga Paramount Stool did not challenge this decision in any competent legal forum.
The Council accused proponents of the neo-Ga State Council of adopting coercive and divisive tactics by recruiting militants, bloggers, and serial callers to attack dissenting views, organising events without the involvement of other Ga traditional areas as well as exhibiting disrespect toward established traditional authorities.
The Council also cited a recent incident in which the Ga Overlord claimant allegedly handpicked a Development Chief to represent him at an event expected to be attended by senior members of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, describing the act as unfortunate and insulting.
The Council warned that any attempt to revive the disbanded Ga State Council violates the Constitution and amounts to an effort to overreach established legal structures.
“What the proponents of the neo-Ga State Council are trying to do is an attempt to overreach the 1992 Constitution and the Chieftaincy Act. This offends the principles of law and order.”
Shibulɔ Nii Martey Sanshie IV, stressed that the Teshie Traditional Paramountcy will resist any move that undermines their autonomy, history, or constitutional rights.
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