The estranged wife of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has instituted legal proceedings against him over alleged bigamy and abandonment of their family.
Susan Lokpobiri disclosed this while reacting to a public notice issued by her husband, warning Nigerians and corporate organisations against engaging in business or financial transactions with her and an organisation associated with her.
In a statement reported by Arise TV, Mrs Lokpobiri dismissed the notice as “unwarranted, misleading and unnecessary”, insisting that she neither represents the minister nor poses any threat to his office or the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
She said the legal action against the minister was pending before a court of competent jurisdiction, explaining that it arose from circumstances surrounding what she described as his abandonment of the family and decision to move in with another woman.
Mrs Lokpobiri expressed surprise that the minister had resorted to a public declaration against her and her activities instead of allowing the court to determine the issues in dispute.
She said the notice had exposed her and their son, who is a legal practitioner, to unnecessary embarrassment and public scrutiny.
The estranged wife maintained that neither she nor her organisation constituted a threat to anyone, stressing that she had no intention of interfering with the minister’s official responsibilities or the operations of the ministry.
She also denied benefiting from her husband’s ministerial appointment, explaining that she deliberately maintained her distance after he assumed office and continued to pursue her personal interests independently.
On the Reaching Every Adult and Child Foundation, Mrs Lokpobiri described it as a legitimate organisation established to pursue its stated objectives, dismissing suggestions that it posed any threat to individuals, public office holders or government institutions.
She warned that the minister’s public notice should not be interpreted as evidence of wrongdoing by her or the foundation.
She consequently urged members of the public, corporate organisations and other stakeholders to disregard what she described as the misleading impression created by the notice and allow the court to determine the dispute.
Mrs Lokpobiri reaffirmed her resolve to defend her rights, dignity and reputation through lawful means.
