Vigil service for Ga Manye today – High Court sets aside injunction

The Accra High Court has set aside an injunction preventing the handling of the remains of the late Ga Manye, Naa Dedei Omaedru III.

In a ruling yesterday, the General Jurisdiction of the High Court presided over by Justice Patrick Baayeh, the same judge who put the 10-day injunction, said it granted the injunction in error because the applicants failed to give the court the true state of affairs.

This endorses the funeral arrangements of Naa Dedei Omaedru III which are already underway.

A member of the Central Funeral Planning Committee, Nii Ayikoi Otoo, who was also the lead counsel for the defendants, made this known at a press conference at the forecourt of the Ga Mantse Palace in Accra yesterday.

Flanked by the Sempe Mantse, Nii Adote Otintor III, who is also the Chairman of the Funeral Planning Committee, and the Chief of Protocol and Communications for the Ga Mantse, Sylvester Parker-Allotey, counsel explained that the new ruling put to rest the confusion among the public as to whether the funeral would go on or not.

“We’ve spent so much time and money travelling, going about informing dignitaries, prominent chiefs, politicians to come and mourn with us and all these people are holding themselves in readiness to come, only for that bombshell to be released,” Mr Ayikoi Otoo, also a former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice and Ghana’s High Commissioner to Canada, stated.

He said the defence had to go to court to deal with the matter once and for all.

“We were in court this morning, we argued against the injunction that was granted and asked that the Court set aside the injunction and at the end of the day, we had this order made,” he stressed.

Mr Ayikoi Otoo urged media practitioners to publish the new development to ensure that the public understood that clarity had been brought to the matter.

“As media practitioners, I hope you will do your best to carry out this news.

 In fact, yesterday some of the information I was getting was coming from abroad.

 I was sitting here and I was getting the information about orders that have been made in Ghana.

So please carry it and let them also share and let people know,” counsel appealed.

“What we said we want to do, we will do. We can’t spend money if we have not reached a decision that we will do this funeral,” Mr Ayikoi Otoo stressed.

The application for injunction was filed by the Head of Antie We of Kpone, and 8 others against Nii Adotey Otinor II, and Yaa Yarley Sarkodie Amoah —Chairman and Secretary of the Funeral Committee respectively.

Last Wednesday, the court injunction was subsequently granted, preventing the funeral from taking place.  

But the court has since lifted the injunction.  

In a ruling yesterday, the General Jurisdiction of the High Court presided over by Justice Patrick Baayeh, said it granted the injunction it lifted in error because the applicants of the motion that gave rise to the injunction failed to give the court the true state of affairs.

“In fairness to the parties, therefore, the Order of Interim Injunction granted on October 25, 2023 is hereby set aside,” the judge said in his new ruling.

The Ga-Dangme Council applauded Nii Otoo for successfully praying the court to overturn the injunction against the remains of the late Queenmother of the Ga State, Naa Omaedru.

With the legal issues now behind the parties, the clergy will be at the Ga Traditional Council from 6.p.m. this evening to hold a service for the repose of the soul of Ga Manye.

This will be preceded by a vigil with Asafo companies who will display amidst firing of muskets from this morning.

A programme released by the planning committee said the Asafoatsemei and Asafoianyemei would continue with their cultural display, music and dance and storytelling throughout the night.

Tomorrow, Saturday, October 28, the date set for the burial, there will be an interdenominational burial service from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., the line-up said.

“After the service, there will be traditional burial rites which will involve the Asafoatsemei and Asafoianyemei companies parading the coffin through the principal streets of Accra under the direction of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) and the Municipal Security Council.

It said a private funeral would then take place with no commercial activities expected to take place on Saturday, October 28.

On Sunday, October 29, there will be a thanksgiving service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Anglican Church along the John Atta Mills High Street from 10 a.m.

The statement said “other traditional rites are expected to continue after the service”.