WA, Feb. 9, GNA - Three of the royal gates to the Wa skin have commended the security personnel in Wa for the high sense of professional= ism they had so far exhibited in their maintenance of peace in the town following the recent ruling in the Wa chieftaincy dispute.

In a statement issued at Wa, the Yijihi, Najeri and Jonynuohi gates=

also praised the people of the Wala Traditional Area for the matured and peaceful manner they conducted themselves before, during and after the ruling of the Judicial Committee of the Upper West Regional House of Chie= fs. They called on their supporters to have faith in the judicial proce= ss and continue to maintain the peace as they resorted to the use of legal channels to have the dispute resolved.

On January 22, 2007 the three gates filed a petition at the Judicia= l Committee of the Upper West Regional House of chiefs seeking to nullify t= he purported nomination, election and enskinment of Selee Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo as the Wa Naa and to constrain him from holding himself as such. They contended that his nomination, election and enskinment were against the customs and traditions of the Wala people. On January 29 the Judicial Committee gave its ruling in favour of N= aa Pelpuo and his co-defendants prompting the three gates to file an appeal against the ruling at the National House of Chiefs.