The organizers of the funeral service for the late Ga Manye, Naa Dedei Omaedru III, say they will proceed with the ceremony on Saturday, despite being slapped with an injunction.
The funeral earlier hit a snag following an injunction secured against it by some interested parties. The organizers of the funeral were restrained from going ahead with the funeral for the next ten days.
The plaintiffs in the case are: Nuumo Emmanuel T. Antia We, Head of the Antie We of Kpone, Nii Addey Oba-Aasaa II, Ankobea of Antie We of Kpone, Shippi Antie I, Saduase Shippi Kpone, Charles Nii Kotey Kotey, Head of Naa Dedei Omaedru We Family of Faase, Accra, Asafoatse Nii Kotey Ga II, Oseahene of Ga Manye Stool and Principal Elder of the Naa Dedei Omaedru We of Faase Accra, Michael Nii Ofei Danso of unnumbered House Accra, Principal Elder of Naa Dedei Omaedru We of Faase Accra and Naa Yomofio, Linguist of Ga Manye Naa Dedei Omaedru We.
However, during an interview on Citinews , a member of the funeral planning committee and the Ga Adangbe Council President, Nii Ayikoi Otoo, stated emphatically that the funeral would go on as planned because they had not been served with the court documents.
He believes the organizers could not be sued because they were assigned to organize the funeral, insisting that the funeral would take place at the Ga Mantse Palace.
“We don’t know anything about the injunction. These days, lots of things happen on social media. There may be things going around on social media, but I don’t think that as of now anybody has been served. I’m a member of the funeral committee, I have not been served with anything. We haven’t seen anything, so we don’t even know the extent of that order. What is it about? Is the Ga Traditional Council named as a party to the defendants?”
If I give you work to do as a subcommittee or appoint you as an agent, and you have a problem, who do you sue? Is it me or the agent? Why is the Council out? The remains of the late queen mother is that a funeral? The injunction is clear that it’s about the body, you wait and see what happens. When they serve us, we will deal with it,” he told Umaru Amadu Sanda on Citinews
Nii Ayikoi Otoo highlighted the number of traditional leaders and dignitaries who will be in attendance to commiserate with the Ga Traditional Council.
“Saturday is the funeral day. We will have the burial service from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Afterwards, we will hand over the coffin to the Asafoatsemei to parade through the principal streets. And in the evening, we will have a private burial. These days, even those who are not royals are given private burials. How much more the late queen who was a royal?”
“It will be a grand funeral. We have invited all the important chiefs of Ghana: the Asantene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Akyem, Kwahu, Yendi Yaa Naa, and Bolga Naa Ba. I mean every important paramount chief that you can think of. And they have all pledged that they will be here in person. The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, will also be here, Ministers of State. It’s going to be huge. The funeral will happen at the Ga Mantse’s Palace,” he emphasized.
He called on the people living around and selling in the Central Business District in the Greater Accra Region to observe the funeral day by closing their shops, schools, and offices.
Ga Manye, Naa Dedei Omaedru III died in December 2022.
A book of condolences was signed and opened by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on June 19, 2023.
