Nollywood actor, Emeka Ike has been facing a scandal in his marriage for sometime now and things are getting messier by the day. The actor’s wife, Suzanne Rero had previously filed for divorce at a Lagos Customary court over claims of domestic abuse.
The actor has now accused of the founder and head pastor of Household of God Church, Chris Okotie for fanning the embers of discord in the marriage.
In a statement released by the actor, he accused Okotie of helping hire a Senior Advocate of Nigeria to represent his wife in court for the divorce case. He went further by accusing the pastor of offering gifts of 500,000 Naira and a Blackberry Passport phone to his wife. That’s not all, the Gulder Ultimate Search winner said the former presidential candidate, Chris Okotie and another male member of his church had together helped his wife secure a job amidst other claims.
The actor also denied ever beating his wife. He made his claims through a statement released:
“I want people to look into this issue critically. I’ve never beaten this woman in my life. When she ran out of home, I called my pastor and they took us for counselling. For one week, I was begging her every day; I would go home alone and she would go home alone as well.
“At a point, pastor asked us to write five things we like and dislike about each other. The pastor said that maybe we could work it out. I wrote mine, she wrote hers and she never said there that I used to beat her. I still have that document with me. She gave me what she wrote and I gave her what I wrote. If I used to beat her, she could not have left it out from that then. Any man that beats a woman is a coward. I know that someone somewhere must have done something to her. How can I beat a woman I adore so much? I love my family and this is very unfortunate. Her children have been begging her to come home, and she has refused.
“I am pretty sure my wife is acting confused; she is acting as if she is under a spell, which is psychological and then she is acting under blackmail.
“There was a time I accused her of bringing men to my house. I mean, which woman will wake her husband up in the middle of the night and said to him, share your property I want to get my share now from what you have? Tell me, which woman will do that if not acting under a spell?
“There was a time I travelled and she closed down my school and sent all the students away. So, there is a lot to it, other than the allegation of battery against me and I want the whole world to know. My name is precious to me and I don’t want anything to drag it in the mud.
“Pastor Chris Okotie just absolved my wife into his church without making any effort to get in touch with me. If as a pastor, your church member is having issue with her husband, and you failed to do anything to resolve it, what kind of pastor are you? When I called him, he refused to pick my call. He also failed to react to a text message I sent to him. Is that a man of God? Even, if you have a police case, they will make effort to hear from you before taking a position, not to talk of the church.
“When we went to court, I told my wife that I’m interested in amicable settlement of the matter, and that I still want her back. But she refused. Even, if you don’t want me, what of your children, I asked her and she still would not listen to me. I want the whole world to know because there is a lot of misinformation out there. The lawyer which Okotie hired for my wife is also frustrating every attempt I make to resolve the matter peacefully,” the statement read.
