A former Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Alison Madueke, has filed a petition in the Lagos State High Court, seeking a legal declaration to officially end his marriage to ex-minister Diezani Alison Madueke and requesting that she ceases using his last name.
Madueke’s petition in the Lagos State High Court contains a request for the court to issue an order, instructing his former spouse, Diezani, to revert to her maiden name, Agama.
In the petition, a request for jactitation of marriage was made. This legal procedure is used to formally end a marital union, and it is intended to provide a clear and definitive end to the marriage between the parties involved
The ex-Chief of Naval Staff asserts that Diezani’s continued use of his name, despite the dissolution of their marital union, is causing him harm. He argues that her ongoing identification with his last name is damaging to his reputation and could potentially lead to unintended liabilities, especially given the corruption allegations that have been leveled against her.
Madueke, a former military leader who served as the governor of both Anambra and Imo states during his illustrious career, was wed to Diezani under the provisions of the Marriage Act on June 30, 1999.
He noted that his wife, Diezani, had previously filed for divorce in the Nassarawa State High Court in Mararaba Gurku in November 2021, citing an irredeemable breakdown of their marital relationship. This earlier filing, which sought to formally dissolve their union, provides additional context to the ongoing legal proceedings between the former couple.
According to the former military leader petition, he did not contest Diezani’s divorce filing at the Nassarawa State High Court, resulting in the official termination of their marriage. Despite this legal dissolution, Madueke asserts that Diezani continues to use his last name, despite having no right to do so.
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 disclosed that on December 14, 2023, he instructed his legal representatives to deliver a formal request to Diezani, demanding that she immediately cease using his surname and instead revert to her maiden name, Agama.
Despite receiving formal notification, Diezani has continued to ignore the request and persists in using his surname.
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 the 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.”
Diezani has had an illustrious career in Nigerian politics and governance, occupying several high-ranking positions throughout the years, including Minister of Transportation, Minister of Mines and Steel Development, and, perhaps most notably, Minister of Petroleum Resources.
She was also the first female President of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, elected in November 2014.
In 2015, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accused Diezani of embezzling approximately $2.5 billion during her tenure as Minister of Petroleum Resources from 2010 to 2015 under President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
Diezani has faced corruption allegations and subsequent arrest and legal proceedings in both Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
