Former Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Alison Madueke, has filed a petition in the Lagos State High Court seeking a legal declaration to end his marriage to Diezani and requesting that she stop using his last name. He is asking the court to order the former Minister of Petroleum Resources to revert to her maiden name, Agama.
Madueke’s petition for jactitation of marriage (a declaration that a marital union has ended) states that Diezani’s ongoing use of his name despite their marriage being legally over is damaging to his reputation and could lead to unintended consequences, including mistaken liability, particularly given the corruption allegations against her.
The former military governor of Anambra and Imo states married Diezani on June 30, 1999, under the Marriage Act. The petition notes that Diezani had previously filed for divorce at the Nasarawa State High Court in Mararaba Gurku in November 2021, citing an irreconcilable breakdown of their marriage. Madueke did not oppose the suit, resulting in the court’s dissolution of the marriage. Despite this, Diezani persists in using his surname.
“On the 13th day of April 2022, judgement 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,” Madueke stated.
“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 revealed that he directed his legal representatives to serve Diezani a formal request on December 14, 2023, demanding that she cease using his surname and revert to her maiden name, Agama. However, despite this legal notice, Diezani has failed to respond and continues to use his name.
“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 petition further read.
“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.”
Madueke seeks the intervention of the court to prevent Diezani from further using his first name and surname, thereby safeguarding his image, personality, and reputation. He is also requesting a perpetual injunction restraining Diezani from asserting, by words or conduct, the existence of a marriage between them.
Additionally, Madueke is seeking a court order that compels Diezani to revert to her maiden name and to publicly announce in a national newspaper, both in Nigeria and the UK, that she has ceased using his surname.
Diezani has held several significant positions in the Nigerian government, including Minister of Transportation, Minister of Mines and Steel Development, and Minister of Petroleum Resources.
She was also the first female President of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, elected in November 2014. Corruption allegations have led to her arrest and legal proceedings in both Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
