By Michael Foli Jackidy, GNA
Ziavi (V/R), April 27, GNA – The Volta Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has directed the Ziavi Traditional Area to abide by the 1941 judgment of the Asogli State Council, which vested ownership of the Ziavi Paramount Stool in the Akpevi Clan, pending the final determination of a court case challenging that decision.
The directive was issued at a recent REGSEC meeting held on Thursday to address rising tensions in the Ziavi Traditional Area following the installation of two rival Paramount Chiefs.
The meeting, attended by key stakeholders in the protracted chieftaincy dispute, was convened as part of efforts to preserve peace and prevent further escalation of tension in the community.
Present at the meeting were Togbe Adza Kwadzo III, the Acting President of the Ziavi Traditional Council, Togbe Kwaku Ayim V, and Togbe Adza Nye IV, each accompanied by their elders.
According to the REGSEC, acting on legal advice from the Office of the Attorney General in the Volta Region, the 1941 judgment of the Asogli State Council remains valid and binding until set aside by a court of competent jurisdiction.
The Council noted that the judgment, which arose from litigation at the Ziavi Divisional Council and was later upheld by the Governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Arnold Hudson, affirmed the Akpevi Clan as the rightful custodian of the Ziavi Paramount Stool.
The REGSEC stated that by law, no clan other than the Akpevi Clan had the authority to install a paramount chief in Ziavi unless and until a court rules otherwise.
It explained that any installation by another clan, including the Tsadaviefe Clan, would be deemed contrary to the standing judgment and therefore null and void.
The Council, however, acknowledged the right of all parties to seek redress in the courts and urged them to pursue their claims through lawful means.
The Tsadaviefe Clan is currently before the court in a case filed in 2020, alleging that the 1941 judgment was obtained through fraud and seeking its reversal.
Until that case is determined, the REGSEC said all parties must respect the existing legal position and avoid actions likely to undermine peace and security in the area.
In a statement issued after the meeting, Togbe Kwaku Ayim V welcomed the intervention by REGSEC and called for calm, restraint and reconciliation among the people of Ziavi.
He said the community had moved from being peaceful and orderly to one marked by tension, division, and growing instability, warning that such developments threatened the future of Ziavi.
Togbe Ayim appealed to members of the rival Tsadaviefe Clan to continue pursuing their claims through the courts while respecting the existing judgments and directives aimed at preserving peace.
“No stool is worth a single drop of blood. No chieftaincy dispute is worth the future of our children, and no one individual’s aspirations are above the collective interest and welfare of all,” he stated.
He stressed that while legal processes must take their course, the people of Ziavi must not lose sight of the need for unity, peace, and development.
Togbe Ayim proposed the establishment of a Ziavi Peace and Development Committee with broad representation to promote dialogue, reconciliation, and healing, regardless of the outcome of the ongoing court process.
He said the committee would help redirect the energies of the people towards pressing community concerns, including education, jobs, youth development, and social cohesion.
“The Akpevi Clan, as custodians of the stool by law and custom, pledges to lead with humility. We will listen, we will engage, and we will work with all to protect and promote the Ziavi we know,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Tsadaviefe Clan has rejected the position taken by REGSEC and insists it would continue to pursue its claim as a foundational ruling clan of Ziavi through the courts.
Despite the disagreement, REGSEC has urged both factions to exercise restraint and place the peace, stability and development of Ziavi above all other interests.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah