Posted by By UBONG UKPONG, Abuja on
A distinguished member of the upper chamber of the National Assembly, Senator Stephen Olusola Akinyede, has found himself in an undistinguished situation as he is presently enmeshed in a messy divorce case with his wife of over seven years.
•Seeks to dissolve second marriage
A distinguished member of the upper chamber of the National Assembly, Senator Stephen Olusola Akinyede, has found himself in an undistinguished situation as he is presently enmeshed in a messy divorce case with his wife of over seven years.
Akinyede and his estranged wife, Talatu Florence, are fiercely trading accusations and counter accusations before a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, where the senator has asked the court to dissolve the marriage, which has produced two sons.
The couple who have chosen to wash their dirty linens in the public and have written petition and cross petition to the court, with supporting affidavits, are praying the court to issue a decree dissolving the marriage which they said has irretrievably broken down.
Akinyede who represents Ekiti South in the senate is currently serving on the FCT probe panel.
In the petition with suit number FCT/HC/CV/PET/33/2008, pending at a Bwari High Court, he is accusing the wife of extreme violence, threat to life, gross misconduct and negligence of her duties as a housewife amongst others.
Akinyede, whose success on the political front seems not to have been replicated in the matrimonial department, as this may not be the first marriage he'd be walking out of.
On July 13, 2000, the marriage between him and his ex-wife, one Lola Ojo, was dissolved at his instance by a Lagos High Court.
Barely four months later, precisely on November 24, 2000, he wedded his present wife in a marriage at an Ikoyi Marriage Registry in Lagos.
But in a classical example of love gone sour, the distinguished senator has accused his former sweetheart of twice threatening to pour acid on him on January 24, 2008 for the purpose of disfiguring him, "in one of her numerous violent rages."
Akinyede who alleged that he became apprehensive due to the various acts of violence and similar threats issued by the respondent said he had quickly lodged a complaint at the Panti Police station on the January 25, 2008.
According to him, Talatu got back to the house at about 8.30pm on the said February 1, 2008 and packed her suitcases and left the home while he was playing with the children downstairs, and has never been seen since then.
Counter accusations
However, denying the accusations levelled against her,
Talatu accused her husband of indulging in marital unfaithfulness and intolerable behaviour Since 2007 when he was elected into the senate.
She alleged that her husband instigated his siblings to gang up and abuse her in her matrimonial home, and further abandoned her and their two sons for weeks after he moved to Abuja, while refusing to bring them to his new residence in Abuja.
She complained that since Akinyede became a senator, his attitude towards her had changed for the worse as he is always not at home and would readily pick a quarrel with her whenever he is at home, just to cause her sadness.
Blast from the past
Alleging that the senator abdicated from his responsibility to his children, she said: "History has shown that the petitioner (Akinyede) ended his first marriage and denied the paternity of his daughter who for the past ten (10) years has been abandoned and left in the care of his first wife."
In view of the present development, Talatu said history was about to repeat itself.
Custody of kids
Senator Akinyede is also praying the court to grant him custody of the two sons of the marriage, aged eight and five respectively, averring that he was in the best position to bring up the children, being a lawyer and a senator.
However the wife is contesting the claim and urging the court to disregard the prayer because her husband is not in a position to take care of the children.