A legal dispute over the marital status of the late Ghanaian highlife legend, Charles Kwadwo Fosu, widely known as Daddy Lumba, has taken a dramatic traditional turn after the invocation of the Great Oath of the Asantehene (Ntam Kɛseɛ) halted court proceedings and shifted the matter to the Manhyia Palace for adjudication.
The rare development unfolded on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, when Ernestina Akosua Bimpomaa, the sister of the late musician, invoked the sacred oath during a court hearing in Kumasi. The case, filed by Akosua Serwaa, the first wife of Daddy Lumba, seeks official recognition as the musician’s lawful spouse.
Under Asante custom, invoking the Great Oath immediately suspends all civil proceedings, transferring authority to the Asantehene’s traditional court at Manhyia Palace. The act is considered one of the most sacred and binding calls for justice in the Asante Kingdom.
At the Palace hearing, presided over by the Saamanhene and a panel of chiefs, Abusuapanin Kofi Owusu, the family head of the late musician, was fined two sheep for failing to respond to or counter the oath when it was declared by Bimpomaa.
The sheep, according to Palace protocol, will be used in purification rites to neutralize the spiritual implications of the oath and to cleanse all parties involved from potential ancestral or spiritual consequences.
Cultural observers have described the event as a fascinating example of how traditional authority and modern legal systems continue to coexist in Ghana, particularly in matters that touch on family, inheritance, and lineage.
Legal experts note that the move reflects the deep respect Asante communities hold for traditional arbitration, even when issues are already before a civil court. “Once the Great Oath is invoked, the authority of the state court pauses — the Palace becomes the supreme adjudicating body on that matter,” a Kumasi-based legal practitioner explained.
The Manhyia Palace is expected to provide its ruling before the matter resumes in the civil court on November 12, 2025, where the legal aspects of the marriage claim will continue.
The ongoing case has drawn significant public attention, given Daddy Lumba’s legendary status in Ghana’s music history, and now, it has opened a broader national conversation about the balance between customary and statutory justice in the country’s legal framework.
