A counter-affidavit, filed in court by Tope Adebutu, a magistrate in Ogun state and wife of Olujonwo Obasanjo, son of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, has surfaced.
Olujonwo had approached an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court in Lagos, saying that shortly after the wedding ceremony, he suffered from physical assaults by his wife as well as threats from his wife, adding that he has had to leave his matrimonial home as he feared for his life. He called on the court to intervene and help prevent further attacks.
In this counter-affidavit, Tope refuted allegations of assault against her, while accusing Olujonwo of cheating on her, saying he hasn’t agreed to consummate their marriage.
She alleged that she was lonely at their honeymoon destination for five days while Olujonwo was in a Lagos hotel “in the company of other women”.
She also added that Olujonwo was checked into a drug rehabilitation facility from the end of January 2018 to the second week of March and that when his mother didn’t know where he was, alleged that he was missing, and “cause to be published, defamatory publications against” her in two national dallies.
She also debunked Olujonwo’s claim that she was on anti-depressants, saying the only medical condition she had after their marriage was uterine fibroid which she said she had treated.
She said Olujonwo deserted her for over four months but only came back in March 2018 to ask that they be separated.
See her counter-affidavit below:
IN THE MAGISTRATE COURT OF LAGOS STATE IN THE LAGOS MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT
HOLDEN AT IGBOSERE-LAGOS
APPLICATION FOR BINDING OVER
SUIT NO: M/244/2018
BETWEEN:
OLUJONWO ABRAHAM OBASANJO
COMPLAINANT/APPLICANT
AND
TEMITOPE ADEBUTU OBASANJO
DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT
COUNTER-AFFIDAVIT IN OPPOSITION TO MOTION EX-PARTE DATED 4TH DAY OF JUNE 2018
1, Temitope Adebutu Obasanjo, Female, Nigerian Citizen and a Senior Magistrate Grade II with the Ogun State Judiciary do hereby make oath and state as follows, to wit:-
I am the Defendant/Respondent (“the Respondent) in these proceedings.
By virtue of the foregoing, I am conversant with the facts and circumstances of this case. Except where expressly stated, the facts contained in this Counter Affidavit are facts which are within my personal knowledge.
I have seen and read the Complainant/Applicant’s (“the Applicant”) Motion Ex-parte and the supporting Affidavit deposed to by the Applicant personally (‘Affidavit’) both dated 23rd May, 2018 (‘application) and state that the depositions contained therein are either false or misleading.
4.I am not in a position to affirm or deny the depositions in paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Affidavit.
I admit the depositions contained in paragraph 3 of the Affidavit.
I deny the contents of paragraph 5 of the Affidavit and state that on the contrary, shortly after our marriage, the Applicant began to treat me with belligerence, cruelty, reprehensible and unwarranted hostility. This treatment by the Applicant continued to negatively affect our marriage to the extent that the Applicant left me to travel to the Principality of Monaco alone on the 17th of June 2017 for our honeymoon despite our early travel plans which had been perfected. The Applicant only came to join me on the 22nd of June 2017 after a period of five days.
7.I know as a fact that the five days period that the Applicant spent in Nigeria before joining me in Monaco were spent at Lilygates Hotel in Lekki, Lagos in the company of other women.
.Apart from the Applicant’s ill treatment and cruel conduct towards me, the Applicant subjected me to the trauma and discomfort of living in his bedroom at his father’s house with the promise that our matrimonial home was undergoing renovation and refurbishment. Up till the time of filing this process, the Applicant and I have never lived in our matrimonial home.
I deny the contents of paragraph 6 of the Affidavit and state that I did not slap the Applicant on the 24th of May 2017 or any other date neither did I display any aggression towards the Applicant. I further state that at no time did the Applicant report such an allegation to his father.
Contrary to the contents of paragraphs 10 and 11 of the Affidavit and further to the immediate preceding paragraph, I state that the allegation of the Applicant in the aforesaid paragraphs 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 are blatant falsehood and fabrications. Further, I state that the Applicant was in the constant habit of deserting me and would scarcely share the same room with me. In fact, the Applicant was not close enough to me to consummate our marriage which remains unconsummated as he maintained the constant habit of despising and distancing himself from me despite several efforts I made to endear myself to him.
12. The Applicant has always meted emotional and psychological hardship on me through the act of abandoning me in his father’s house where he kept me and rendering himself incommunicado during the periods of desertion without giving me any reasonable or justifiable explanations upon his return.
13.I deny the allegations contained in paragraph 12 of the Affidavit and state that I never exhibited any dangerous attitude towards the Applicant neither did the Applicant’s mother complain to the Chief Judge of Ogun State in respect of such alleged acts. On the contrary, the Applicant’s mother continues to attack, ridicule and defame me with the aim of destroying my career and frustrating my marriage to the Applicant.Further, I state that the Applicant was in the constant habit of deserting me and would scarcely share the same room with me. In fact, the Applicant was not close enough to me to consummate our marriage which remains unconsummated as he maintained the constant habit of despising and distancing himself from me despite several efforts I made to endear myself to him.
14.The events that led to the report made by the Applicant’s mother to the Chief Judge of Ogun State and other reports which the Applicant did not disclose in his affidavit are as follows:
a. The Applicant was at an unknown location for drug rehabilitation from the end of January, 2018 till the second week of March 2018.
b. When the Applicant’s mother could not locate the Applicant’s whereabouts, she alleged that he was missing and proceeded to cause to be published, defamatory publications against me in two National newspapers namely, the SUN of 4th February, 2018 and the PUNCH of 10th February, 2018.
c. In addition to the foregoing, the Applicant’s mother also delivered a petition against
me to the Ogun State Judicial Service Commission and the Attorney General of Ogun State all in a bid to adversely affect my promotion interview which was to occur a few days to the delivery of the said petition.
d. Further, the Applicant’s mother also delivered a petition against me to the Human Right’s Violation Commission.
Contrary to the contents of paragraph 13 of the Affidavit, I state categorically that I am physically, mentally and emotionally stable and I have never been in a state of depression or emotional trauma which required the use of anti-depressants.
16. Further to the foregoing and in response to paragraph 14 of the Affidavit, I state that the only medical condition I had had since I got married to the Applicant was uterine fibroid. When I was diagnosed with the uterine fibroid, in August 2017, I travelled abroad to have them removed, between 5th of November 2017 and 20th November 2017. The Applicant did not provide me with any support during and after the surgery.
Contrary to the contents of paragraph 15 of the Affidavit, I state that the reason why the Applicant did not stay in our marriage is because of his repulsive attitude towards me. During the few times we spent together, the Applicant was fond of calling me unprintable names including but not limited to: “ugly, fat, smelly, cancer”. He always used to torment me with expressions such as “I married you out of convenience”, “our wedding was a sham”, “if I did not marry you, no one else would”.
18.I endured all these trauma from the Applicant until 14 March 2018 when the Applicant approached me after deserting me for over 4 months and informed me that he was no longer interested in our marriage. The Applicant proceeded to deliver a letter dated 15 April 2018 to me and stated in the said letter that he wished for us Attached herewith and marked as Exhibit TAO1 is a copy of the letter dated 15 April 2018.
19.Contrary to the contents of paragraph 16 of the Affidavit, I state that I never showed emotional instability but was always entreating the Applicant to make our marriage work. The Applicant frustrated all such efforts of mine.
20.vehemently deny the contents of paragraphs 17 and 18 of the Affidavit. I have and continue to conduct myself as a loving and dutiful wife.
21.I deny the content of paragraphs 19, 20 and 21 of the Affidavit.
22.I have never attacked the Applicant nor threatened him with physical violence.
23.state that the Applicant’s application is frivolous, vexatious and an attempt to further intimidate, frustrate and traumatize me. I state that I am a law abiding citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
24.I depose to this Counter Affidavit in good faith, conscientiously believing same to be true and in accordance with the Oaths Law of Lagos State.
Bele feature
DEPONENT
Sworn to at the Registry of the Magistrate Court of Lagos State,
cut Igbosere Magisterial District, this day of 26th June, 2018.
