The Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, on Sunday said his new wife, Lara, was not a model.
He said he would rather described his new wife as “a model in my heart.”
Oshiomhole, who made this known at a special thanksgiving mass held at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Auchi in honour of the new couple, added that Lara was not a replacement for his late wife, Clara.
The mass was attended by the governor’s children – Steve, Jane and Adams (Jnr.); the parents of his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Jesus Fortes, as well as other dignitaries.
The governor also debunked media reports that his new wife “is a top model,” a speculation he said might have been generated because of her “poise and beauty.”
“When I read newspaper stories and they say that Comrade has married a ‘top model’ I’m like, ‘Maybe it’s another person.’
“The lady that God has directed to my path and heart to marry is not and was not a model. Of course, she looks beautiful and I understand that is why people assume that this kind of a lady must be a model; but of course, she is a model in my heart and we hope and pray that we will be models in the heart of our God and I think that is the most important thing,” Oshiomhole stated.
He, however, called for prayers from Nigerians to support him and his new wife.
The governor said, “I ask you to please continue to pray for us; it is not easy. I lost my first wife and it is not possible to replace her. Yes, I have married another, but it is not a replacement.
“You cannot replace a wife, especially the one you married when you were young and you were anonymous. Nobody knew you from anywhere; you had nothing; no car, no house. Now, that you can never replace, but I understand that under the Catholic doctrine I am entitled to have another wife which is what I am trying to do.”
Earlier, the parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Valentine Anavbeokhai, in a homily titled, “Communicate the truth in Christ,” had urged Christians “to avoid misrepresenting the truth in their daily communication as they all had an obligation to speak the truth, live the truth and, if the need arose, die for the truth.”
He also blessed the couple and wished them well.
