Admiral Alison Madueke, the former chief of naval staff, has petitioned the Lagos State High Court to stop his divorced wife Diezani Alison-Madueke from taking his last name.
On June 30, 1999, the former military governor of the states of Anambra and Imo wed Diezani in accordance with the Marriage Act.
He claims that Diezani filed for divorce in November 2021, citing their marriage’s irreversible disintegration.
As a result, their marriage was dissolved by the court in April 2022.
Diezani has refused to use her maiden name, Agama, even though the court dissolved their marriage.
Madueke stated in the petition that Diezani’s ongoing usage of his name is further embarrassing him and harming his reputation.
“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 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 petition further read.
He is requesting a lifelong injunction to stop Diezani from using his name going forward and to force her to use her maiden name.
Additionally, Madueke is asking Diezani to officially declare that she is no longer using his surname in a national publication in both Nigeria and the UK.
In the Nigerian government, Diezani Alison-Madueke has occupied a number of noteworthy roles, including Minister of Petroleum Resources, Minister of Mines and Steel Development, and Minister of Transportation.
In November 2014, she was elected as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ first female president.
She is being accused of embezzling $2.5 billion from the Nigerian government while in office, which has resulted in her detention and legal actions in Nigeria and the UK.
