Anticipation is building in Kumasi as the High Court prepares to give its ruling on November 28 in the ongoing civil marriage dispute involving the late music icon Daddy Lumba. The case, centred on whether the musician remained legally married to Akosua Serwaah Fosu until his death, has unfolded with emotional testimonies and conflicting accounts.
At Tuesday’s hearing, presiding judge Her Ladyship Dorinda Smith Arthur confirmed that judgment would be delivered at the end of the week, closing weeks of witness statements from both sides. In all, five witnesses have taken the stand, offering sharply different narratives about the musician’s marital life.
Mrs. Serwaah Fosu’s legal team submitted what they say is the original civil marriage certificate between her and the late artiste. Despite objections from lawyers for the defendants—Abusua Panin Kofi Owusu and Priscilla Ofori—the court accepted the certificate into evidence.
One of the more striking testimonies came from James Beniako Boateng, who testified for Ms. Ofori. He told the court he personally attended the marriage ceremony between Daddy Lumba and Ms. Ofori on April 10, 2010. According to him, the musician assured Ms. Ofori’s family that his previous marriage had been dissolved, though he offered no documentation to support that claim.
Mr. Boateng described a long-standing relationship between the late musician and Ms. Ofori, beginning in 2006 and continuing into a marriage that produced six children. He said the couple first lived together at Tantara Hills before settling in East Legon in 2016. He also recalled seeing the musician in a wheelchair after a 2013 spinal surgery but insisted he was never bedridden.
His testimony extended to a 2018 incident when Mrs. Fosu travelled to Ghana to observe her mother’s funeral rites. According to the witness, Ms. Ofori was instructed by Daddy Lumba to prepare the Tantara Hills home for the plaintiff’s arrival—an act he said reflected her position as the musician’s wife.
With the court set to rule on Friday, many are waiting to see which account the judge will deem binding. The outcome could determine not only the legal status of the late musician’s marriage but also the rights and recognition of the families involved.
