Admiral Alison Madueke (rtd), husband to former minister of petroleum resources, Diezani Madueke, has filed a lawsuit at a Lagos High Court requesting a legal declaration to end his marriage to the ex-minister.
The retired naval officer is also seeking an injunction to stop Diezani from continuing to use his name and revert to her maiden name, Agama.
In Madueke’s petition for jactitation of marriage (declaration that a marital union has ended), the former Chief of Naval Staff said since the two are no longer married to each other, Diezani’s continued use of his first and surname is damaging to his reputation, which according to him could lead to unintended consequences such as mistaken identity due to the heavy corruption allegations against her.
Madueke, who served as a former military governor of Anambra and Imo states, married Diezani in 1999 under the Marriage Act.
He said in the petition that Diezani previously filed for divorce at the Nasarawa State High Court in Mararaba Gurku in November 2021, and though he did not oppose the suit, Diezani continued to use his name.
The petition reads, “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.”
“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.
He, therefore, sought the intervention of the court to prevent the former minister of petroleum from further using his first name and surname to safeguard his image, personality, and reputation.
