Ernestina Fosu, elder sister of highlife legend Charles Kwadwo Fosu, popularly known as Daddy Lumba, has told a Kumasi High Court that her late brother maintained a long-term relationship with Priscilla Ofori, also known as Odo Broni, but the two were never married.
Her testimony forms part of an ongoing case initiated by Akosua Serwaa Fosu, who claims to be Daddy Lumba’s lawful wife and is seeking recognition as his sole surviving spouse, exclusive rights to perform widowhood rites, and to prevent Odo Broni from presenting herself as the musician’s wife.
Ernestina, also called Akosua Brempomaah, said Daddy Lumba confided in her about the nature of his relationship with Odo Broni, noting that the singer had returned to Ghana to oversee a building project and seek treatment for a back injury.
She explained that Akosua Serwaa did not frequently travel to Ghana due to the high airfare costs and an alleged €50,000 loan she had taken from a financial institution in Germany. Defence counsel Dominic Kwadwo Osei challenged the loan’s existence, citing inconsistencies in the claimed amount.
Ernestina confirmed that her brother married Akosua Serwaa through customary rites in Bomso in 1991 and a civil ceremony in Germany in 2004, both of which she witnessed.
She acknowledged that Daddy Lumba fathered six children with Odo Broni, with the third child named after her, as per the musician’s tradition of naming the third-born child after her. She stated that Serwaa eventually became aware of the children through her own children’s visits.
During cross-examination, Ernestina admitted that Priscilla Ofori had previously referred to her as “sister-in-law” in public recordings, but maintained that Odo Broni was never formally recognised as part of the family.
She also confirmed that Akosua Serwaa performed the Nseyie rites following their mother’s death, while Theresah Abrebrese, Lumba’s first girlfriend, only assisted due to a long-standing family association.
The court also examined discrepancies regarding the location of Daddy Lumba’s medical treatment, with Ernestina stating she visited him at Tantra Hills. At the same time, counsel for Odo Broni asserted he had surgery at FOCOS in Pantang.
