Ernestina Fosuh, sister of the late highlife legend Daddy Lumba, has declared she is not ready for her brother’s funeral despite a court ruling that allows it to proceed on December 6, 2025.
The Kumasi High Court dismissed an interlocutory injunction application on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, that sought to halt the funeral proceedings. Presiding Judge Dorinda Smith Arthur ruled that under Ghanaian customary law, authority to manage a deceased person’s corpse lies with the family.
The application was filed by Akosua Serwaa Fosuh, who claims to be the musician’s legal wife. She argued that she was not consulted before the family announced the funeral date and only learned about it through social media.
Following the court decision, Victor Kofi Owusu Banahene, the family head (Abusuapanyin), asserted full authority over the funeral arrangements. “The court has given us the go ahead to organise the funeral,” he stated after Tuesday’s hearing.
However, Ernestina Fosuh told the media that she remains unprepared for the scheduled funeral date. “I will leave everything to God; all we want is for the right things to be done,” she said.
The musician, whose real name was Charles Kwadwo Fosuh, passed away in Accra on July 26, 2025, at age 60. He was one of Ghana’s most celebrated highlife musicians with a career spanning four decades.
The court set the next hearing for Friday, October 31, 2025, for directions on a case management conference to determine whether Akosua Serwaa Fosuh is the legal wife of the deceased. That separate legal matter will continue even as funeral preparations move forward.
The dispute involves multiple parties, including Priscilla Ofori Atta, also known as Odo Broni, who claims to have been married to the singer and has six children with him. Akosua Serwaa maintains she is the only legally wedded wife under German law, as Daddy Lumba held dual Ghanaian and German citizenship.
Judge Arthur explained that her decision was based on the balance of convenience, considering the cost of preserving the corpse at the morgue and public interest. She noted that an injunction could only be granted if the plaintiff would suffer greater or irreparable harm.
The final funeral rites are planned for December 6, 2025, with arrangements now proceeding under the direction of the family head.
