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Mrs Susan Lokpobiri, the estranged wife of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has rejected a public notice issued by her husband warning Nigerians and corporate organisations against engaging in business or financial dealings with her and an NGO associated with her.
Senator Lokpobiri, had, in a public notice signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Nneamaka Okafor, and published in some national newspapers, warned Nigerians and corporate organisations against engaging in any business or financial dealings with his estranged wife, Susan.
He said Susan was no longer married to him and does not represent him, the office of the Minister or the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources in any capacity.
But in a swift reaction, Susan, in a statement issued to newsmen, described the notice as unwarranted and misleading, insisting that she neither represents the minister nor poses any threat to his office or the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
She said “I have read with dismay the public notice issued by my estranged husband, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, warning Nigerians and corporate organisations against engaging in business or financial dealings with me and an NGO associated with me.
“I consider the notice unwarranted, misleading and unnecessary. I wish to state categorically that I do not represent my estranged husband, nor do I pose any threat to his office or the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources.”
She disclosed that she had instituted a legal action against the minister over alleged bigamy, adding that the matter was currently pending before a court of competent jurisdiction.
According to her, the suit arose from circumstances surrounding what she described as her husband’s abandonment of his family and his decision to move in with another woman.
She expressed surprise that the minister had resorted to issuing a public notice against her instead of allowing the court to determine the issues surrounding their marital relationship.
Susan said the notice had subjected her and their son, who is a legal practitioner, to unnecessary embarrassment and public scrutiny.
She maintained that she had no intention of interfering with the minister’s official responsibilities or the activities of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
The estranged wife also denied benefiting from her husband’s ministerial position, saying she deliberately maintained her distance from him after his appointment and continued to pursue her personal interests independently.
She further defended the Reaching Every Adult and Child Foundation, describing it as a legitimate organisation established to pursue its objectives, insisting that it posed no threat to any individual, public office or government institution.
She cautioned against interpreting the minister’s public notice as evidence of wrongdoing on her part or that of the foundation and 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 matter.
She reaffirmed her commitment to protecting her rights, dignity and reputation through lawful means.
