The Awoamefia of Anlo Traditional Area, Togbui Sri III, has filed a suit against the Attorney General and the Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, over attempts to create two other Traditional Councils in the Anlo State.
According to Togbui Sri, the move amounts to an attempt to usurp the authority of the Anlo Traditional Council.
In the suit, sighted by citifmonline.com, he claimed that the Chieftaincy Minister had written a letter to the Registrar of the Volta Region House of Chiefs announcing his decision to “inaugurate or establish Avenor and Aflao as traditional councils within the Anlo traditional area” after visiting the area.
According to the plaintiff, the Minister does not have the power to create any new traditional councils in the area, arguing that that mandate was vested in him as the Awoamefia of the area.
“Plaintiff avers that, only he as the Awoamefia of the Anlo state or traditional area has the authority by custom, statute and constitutional right to appoint or elevate the Avenor and Aflao divisions of the Anlo state or traditional area as traditional councils. That traditional councils are created by a chief who by custom are vested with such powers and not by constitutional or statutory executive action,” the suit said.
According to the suit, the Chieftaincy Minister intends to “inaugurate Avenor and Aflao divisions of the Anlo state or traditional area as traditional councils on December 14, 2017” without any notice to the Anlo Awoamefia or any acknowledgement of his mandate on the issue.
Togbui Sri is hence seeking an interim injunction on the creation and inauguration of the Traditional Councils until the final determination of the suit.
He also prayed the court to make a declaration that he “by virtue of his position as the Awoamefia of Anlo is the only authority who can create traditional councils in the Anlo traditional area.”
–
By: Edwin Kwakofi & Michael Ogbodu/citifmonline.com/Ghana