A former Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Alison Madueke, has filed a petition in the Lagos State High Court, seeking a legal declaration to end his marriage to Diezani and requesting that she stop using his last name.
He is asking the court to order the former Minister of
Petroleum Resources to revert to her maiden name, Agama.
This was contained in Madueke’s petition for jactitation of
marriage (declaration that a marital union has ended).
The ex-Chief of Naval Staff argues that Diezani’s ongoing
use of his name despite their marriage being legally over is damaging to his
reputation and could lead to unintended consequences, including mistaken
liability, particularly given the corruption allegations against her.
Madueke is a former military governor of Anambra and Imo
states. He married Diezani on June 30, 1999, under the Marriage Act.
The petitioner, Madueke, noted that Diezani had previously
filed for divorce at the Nassarawa State High Court in Mararaba Gurku in
November 2021, citing an irreconcilable breakdown of their marriage, seeking to
end their union formally.
He said he did not oppose the suit, resulting in the court’s
dissolution of the marriage, yet Diezani persists in using his surname, despite
the formal termination of their marital union.
He stated, “On the 13th day of April 2022, judgment was
delivered in Suit No. NSD/MG345/2021 by Hon. Justice A.A. Ozegya dissolving the
marriage between the petitioner and the respondent on the ground that the
marriage has broken down irretrievably.
“The said dissolution of marriage has now become absolute by
the operation of law.
“Even though the marriage has been dissolved and is now
legally finalised, the respondent continues to use the petitioner’s first name
(Alison) and surname (Madueke) as her own without any justification or consent
from the petitioner.
“It is now more than two-years that the respondent continues
to use the name of the petitioner to his embarrassment.”
Madueke revealed that he directed his legal representatives
to serve Diezani a formal request on December 14, 2023, demanding that she cease
using his surname and revert to her maiden name, Agama.
However, despite this legal notice, Diezani has failed to
respond and continues to use his name.
The petition further read, “The respondent has continued to
hold out herself as the wife of the petitioner even when the marriage has been
dissolved.
“The respondent is undergoing criminal trials in both
Nigeria and the United Kingdom. The charge in Nigeria is Suit No.
FUC/ABI/CR/208/2010.
“The respondent faces public allegations of corruption and
financial misconduct, for which trials are ongoing for both.
“The persistent portrayal of the respondent as the spouse of
the petitioner is creating embarrassment, a misleading impression and
tarnishing the reputation, integrity, and public image of the petitioner.
“The respondent’s continued use of the petitioner’s first
and surname falsely suggests to the public a continuing relationship between
the parties though same has since legally ended.
“The respondent’s continued use of the petitioner’s first
and family names poses a significant risk of legal and financial harm to the
petitioner.
“The petitioner seeks the intervention of this Honourable
Court to prevent the respondent from further using his first name and surname,
thereby safeguarding his image, personality, and reputation.”
Madueke sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining
Diezani from further using his names following the dissolution of their
marriage.
He also prayed for a perpetual injunction restraining the
respondent from further asserting, by words or conduct, the existence of
marriage between them.
He is seeking a court order that compels Diezani to revert
to her maiden name and to publicly announce in a national newspaper, both in
Nigeria and the UK, that she has ceased using his surname.
Diezani has held several significant positions in the
Nigerian government, including Minister of Transportation, Minister of Mines
and Steel Development, and Minister of Petroleum Resources.
She was also the first female President of the Organisation
of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, elected in November 2014.
Diezani was accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission of embezzling $2.5bn from the Nigerian government during her tenure
from 2010 to 2015 under President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
Corruption allegations have led to her arrest and legal
proceedings in both Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
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