A major twist has emerged in the protracted Dangmebiawe Wetsoyi chieftaincy dispute, as the Judicial Committee of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs has nullified an earlier ruling by the Ada Traditional Council and ordered the matter to be reheard.

The appellate ruling concerns the long-running contest between members of the Okumo Wem family of the Dangbebiawe Clan and their counterparts from the Osabu-Yete and Lanuer gates.

The appellants — Foah-Teye Okumo, Alfred Ehitumi Okumo (deceased, substituted by Abraham Tsiani Narwayo Okumo), Djangma Tawiah Okumo, Tsiani Osabute, and Victor Lawer Okumo — challenged the legitimacy of the installation of Enock Tetteh Lanuer as Wetsoyi (Divisional Chief) of the Dangmebiawe Clan.

Central to their argument was the claim that the established rotational succession system, shared among the Osabu-Yete, Okumo, and Na-Wayo families, had been sidestepped. They maintained that the 4th Respondent, Enock Tetteh Lanuer, did not qualify under the clan’s customary framework and accused the respondents of sidelining the Okumo Wem family, despite a 1974 selection arrangement they say remains binding.

The plaintiffs further contend that the fourth defendant, Enoch Tetteh Lanuer, is not a direct blood descendant of the three sons of the Okumo family or gate, and therefore lacks the legitimate lineage required to be enstooled as Wetsoyi, the Divisional Head Chief of the Dangmebiawe Stool.

The Ada Traditional Council, however, had earlier dismissed these claims, endorsing Lanuer’s installation and restraining the plaintiffs from asserting any claim to the Wetsoyi title. That ruling prompted the appellants to elevate the matter to the Regional House of Chiefs, alleging an incomplete hearing, wrongful reliance on non-judicial arbitration documents, and a breach of natural justice.

In its 17-page judgment, the Regional Judicial Committee identified significant procedural errors, including witnesses for the appellants being prevented from completing their testimonies, violating key provisions of L.I. 798 governing chieftaincy proceedings.

Also, it stated that the Ada Traditional Council improperly invoked res judicata, relying on a report from the Nene Ada Arbitration Committee — a body the Regional House emphasised is not a legally recognised judicial committee under Act 759.

Also, that judgment was delivered before hearings were completed, including outstanding cross-examinations of key witnesses.

The Committee described these lapses as undermining the fairness of the entire process, stating that the appellants were denied adequate opportunity to present their case. It concluded that the judgment of the Ada Traditional Council was “irregular, fundamentally flawed, and a miscarriage of justice.”

As a result, the Regional House of Chiefs has set aside the entire decision of the Ada Traditional Council and ordered a full rehearing of the case. It also awarded GH¢5,000 in costs to the appellants to mitigate procedural expenses.

The decision resets the long-disputed matter and reopens the contest over who is rightfully entitled to occupy the revered Wetsoyi stool of the Dangmebiawe Clan.