Imported User:
Former governor of Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu has lost the Divorce case between him and his wife, Chief (Mrs) Aish Audu as a Montgomery Circuit Court Judge in the U.S, Michael Mason rejected documents presented before him as evidence by the former governor.
In his rejection during the week, Judge Michael Mason declared that the documents presented before his court by the former Kogi state governor contained irregularities and inconsistencies.
Also, a search conducted by attorneys of his wife in Kogi States’ court records indicated that the documents were not in their records.
In the course of the Divorce case, Prince Abubakar Audu at one time claimed he was never married to Mrs. Aisha Audu his wife for 10 years and his first lady while he was governor of Kogi State between1999-2003.
According to court documents, he denied the marriage and sought for marriage validity in the State of Maryland where his wife, Mrs Aisha Audu and children now reside.
In a deposition obtained from him under oath after being shown the magnitude of evidence presented by his wife to proof marriage, Prince Audu wisely changed his earlier statements and accepted that Mrs. Aisha Audu was indeed his wife.
Also during the deposition conducted in the presence of a Montgomery County Court Officer, Prince Abubakar Audu under oath accepted that he was the sole owner of Goldwindow LLC, a firm he earlier claimed was not his, and the firm he claimed owned his property at Potomac, Maryland.
It would be recalled that it was the same firm he used to evict his family from the Potomac residence last year after he claimed the property was not his own.
Meanwhile, during the trial to decide “Validity of Marriage” at the County court of Montgomery, Prince Abubakar Audu again tendered another document purportedly issued by the Kogi state court to correct a statutory declaration of marriage he presented as exhibit to the court that was alleged to have been falsified.
In his ruling Judge Michael Mason declared that preponderance on the evidence before him, it was clear that Prince Abubakar Audu and Mrs Aisha Audu were married and thus have a valid Marriage.
The US Judge also said: “using evidence submitted by Prince Audu, it also showed that he had a marriage with one Habiba Audu (Deceased) at that time also. In view of these findings they were said to be involved in polygamy which is not an acceptable form of marriage in the State of Maryland due to that practice the court cannot “Dissolve” the marriage and cannot continue the divorce case”
The court also explained that Mrs. Aisha Audu’s brief residency in the State of Maryland was also another factor that was considered in the decision while Prince Audu’s request to have the judge null and void the marriage was also denied.
According to the judge the marriage is valid in Nigeria, and they both remain married until a divorce is obtained through acceptable means in Nigerian law. “And for court purposes in the U.S the Maryland court does not recognize polygamy marriage” He added.
Finally, the judge asserts that the Circuit Court in Montgomery County has jurisdiction to determine custody and child support for the children and that part of the case continues.
Meanwhile, an order of the court adjudicating, Prince Abubakar Audu in contempt of court for failure to pay child support order entered against him in a “Pendete lite order on May 17th, 2011 has been requested by his attorney’s to his wife, and also a motion to reconsider the divorce case judgment is also being prepared as at press time.
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