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A group calling itself Concerned Citizens of Teshie has petitioned the President, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, to as a matter of urgency; intervene in the chieftaincy disputes within the Teshie community in order to avoid any needless clashes.

The group fingered the Registrar of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, Harry Attipoe, as an endorser of some of the disputes which had on some occasions led to the loss of lives and properties of people within the Teshie community.

According to the group, the Registrar had for some time now been using his position at the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, to meddle in the chieftaincy matters in the Teshie community.

His activities, according to the group, were further exposed to the whole world through a publication on page 15 of the 18th February, 2016 issue of the Daily Guide, which was a report of what transpired at a Workshop held at Dodowa on enstoolment and destoolment of chiefs.

The group said that they found it instructive to note from the publication that the report was yet to be presented to the National House of Chiefs for approval, yet the Registrar had given two weeks ultimatum to the Kingmakers to present names for the Paramount Chief, Mankralo and Djaasetse, and also that these orders were issued at a workshop called for entirely a different purpose.

 The background to this, the group noted, is that a fact finding committee was set up by the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs to investigate the chieftaincy situation in Teshie after lives were lost when a faction attempted to outdoor a chief in 2013.

The group mentioned some of the flaws that characterized the committee’s work as that it was unnecessary and illegal for the Registrar to request for names of prospective chiefs to be sent to him at a time no customary rites had been performed on them.

“This is a recipe for disaster. A chief is enstooled before he is presented to the respective traditional council and subsequently to the Regional House of Chiefs”, they emphasized.

They noted that terms of reference were not made available to the protagonists, adding that many protagonists and their king makers were not interviewed at all.

According to the group, the report was not made available to anybody in Teshie and also such important requests by the Registrar as reported in the paper were verbal and were in response to a contribution made by a participant at the workshop.

The group noted that Mr. Attipoe had written letters which amounted to gross interference in the customs and traditions of the Teshie town.

They averred that such a dangerous request was aimed at destooling some legitimately and customarily installed and recognized chiefs through the back door and also to impose some unqualified persons who had found favour with the Registrar and some of the chiefs over the people of Teshie.

“Teshie cannot be described as a failed state. Unlike other communities, we have not vandalized the Police Station; we have not murdered a chief or have come under a curfew. Today, our image has sunk so low, we have been portrayed as a violent community. All these arise as a result of denial of justice and fair play by people in authority such as the Registrar. Many are passionate about issues of chieftaincy because they involve heritage, and nobody will allow a public officer to take away his inheritance to somebody else. They end up resorting to violence to salvage what belongs to them. It cannot be gainsaid that others resort to violence in order to take away what belongs to peace-loving people”, the group lamented.

The group further stated that the Chairmen of the Regional and Municipal Security Councils, the Regional Minister and Municipal Chief Executive had been frustrated in the process, adding that they had been accused of meddling in chieftaincy matters on many occasions when they had tried to intervene in the interest of peace and security.

“Mr. President, as we speak there is so much tension in town. In response to the Registrar`s request, rival groups are feverishly preparing to outdo each other to install chiefs for various positions”, the group hinted.

They are therefore pleading the President to come to their aid for the restoration of sanity in Teshie and to avert any bloodshed that may result from this situation especially in this election year.