A legal tussle has erupted over who qualifies as the rightful widow of the late highlife legend Daddy Lumba. His German-based wife, Akosua Serwaa, has petitioned the Kumasi High Court to bar two individuals, family head Kofi Owusu and Odo Broni, from performing his funeral rites.
In documents filed before the court, Serwaa insists her 2004 marriage to the musician in Germany remains valid and monogamous under that jurisdiction. She argues that this status grants her sole legal and cultural recognition as Lumba’s surviving spouse.
Her counsel, William Kusi, told the court that both the family head and Odo Broni are “acting in mockery and contempt” of Serwaa’s marital rights by organizing funeral arrangements without her consent. The suit also accuses Transitions Funeral Home of aiding the process by recognizing the two as Lumba’s next of kin.
According to the statement of case, Serwaa believes her rights as wife and widow have been trampled upon. “The Defendants’ conduct poses threats to her recognition as the only surviving spouse and undermines the sanctity of Akan and Ashanti customs,” her legal team argued.
The application invokes Order 25 Rule 1 of Ghana’s Civil Procedure Rules, urging the court to issue an injunction “to prevent an act of mockery and disregard for the Plaintiff’s cultural and constitutional rights.”
Her lawyers further contend that damages cannot restore the harm done if Serwaa is denied her widowhood role, calling the act of exclusion “a canker to Akan customs.”
