Akosua Serwaah has taken her legal battle over the estate of late highlife icon Charles Kwadwo Fosu, popularly known as Daddy Lumba, to the Court of Appeal in Kumasi, challenging a High Court ruling that recognised two surviving spouses.
In a notice of appeal filed at the appellate court, Ms Serwaah is seeking to overturn the entire judgment of the Kumasi High Court, which declared both her and Priscilla Ofori, also called Odo Broni, as the lawful widows of the celebrated musician.
Central to her appeal is the trial court’s decision to reject a marriage certificate she presented to support her claim of being the only lawful spouse. Ms Serwaah argues that the High Court erred when it declared the document inadmissible and further misapplied the provisions of the Evidence Act, 1975 (NRCD 323) in assessing its admissibility.
According to the appellant, the court’s interpretation of the law amounted to an error, and she is therefore urging the Court of Appeal to set aside the High Court’s judgment and declare her the sole lawful surviving spouse of Daddy Lumba.
Background to the Dispute
The appeal follows a decision delivered on November 28, 2025, by the Kumasi High Court, presided over by Justice Dr Dorinda Smith Arthur. In that ruling, the court dismissed Ms Serwaah’s suit, which sought a declaration that she alone qualified as Daddy Lumba’s surviving spouse.
The High Court held that Ms Serwaah failed to prove that she was married to the late musician under the Marriage Ordinance, which would have established a monogamous union and excluded any other spouse.
Instead, the court found that the evidence demonstrated a customary marriage between Daddy Lumba and Akosua Serwaah. Under Ghanaian law, customary marriages are potentially polygamous, allowing a man to lawfully marry more than one wife.
On that basis, the court ruled that Daddy Lumba’s subsequent marriage to Priscilla Ofori (Odo Broni) was valid and legally recognised.
High Court’s Final Decision
In its conclusion, the Kumasi High Court declared both Akosua Serwaah and Priscilla Ofori as the lawful surviving spouses of the late music legend, effectively recognising them as equal beneficiaries under the law.
The appeal now places the matter before the Court of Appeal, where the judges will determine whether the High Court properly applied evidentiary and marital law in reaching its decision.
