Judge Foresees Issues in Daddy Lumba Case, Verdict Upheld

Reindorf Twumasi Ankrah, a partner at Morrison, Twumasi & Partners, praised the judge who delivered the landmark ruling on the late music icon Daddy Lumba’s marriage case, calling the judgment thorough, clear and highly commendable.

Speaking on JoyNews’ The Law on 7 December, Mr Ankrah said, “The judge actually deserves a lot of commendation for the yeoman’s job she did.” He explained that the judge went beyond the immediate dispute to address widespread public confusion about Ghana’s marriage systems.

According to Mr Ankrah, “If you take your time to look at pages 31 to 33 of the decision, you will notice that the judge took notice of the commentary that has surrounded the case and figured out that there may be a lot of people who do not understand the types of marriages we have in Ghana.” He added that the judge deliberately broadened her ruling to educate the public because of the strong interest in the matter.

“So, she decided, and you notice in the judgement, she said it herself that because of the public interest in the matter, she would veer off the issues and take some time to educate the public on the types of marriages,” he said.

Before tackling the substantive issues, the judge laid a foundation for readers to grasp the legal principles shaping her conclusions. “She took her time to look at customary marriage, marriage under ordinance, and Islamic or Mohammedan marriage, gave the incidence of each of these marriages, and then proceeded to answer the questions that had been put before her as a judge to determine,” Mr Ankrah explained.

The thoroughness, he noted, demonstrated foresight. “And you also notice from the reading of the judgement that the judge actually anticipated every issue that may come up in the commentaries and addressed it as well,” he stated.

Even after confirming a valid customary marriage between Daddy Lumba and Odo Broni, the judge explored alternative possibilities. “Even after determining that there was a customary marriage between Lumba and Odo Broni, she even went further assuming they were not even married and gave another alternative,” Mr Ankrah added.

Mr Ankrah concluded that the ruling reflects a jurist who understands both the law and the societal stakes. “This is someone who really took her time to understand the issues, to understand the law, and to apply it well, and came to a conclusion which is more or less unimpeachable. So on that note, I think she did a great job, and she deserves commendation for what she has done,” he said.

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