DISCLAIMER: This work is strictly a piece of art. The writer regrets any coincidence with any persons living or dead. This write-up is not targeted at anybody or group of persons, and as such, the publishers will not be liable to libel or defamation allegations.
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(C) 2022
With tear-dampened eyes, Buhari's mistress begged the judge to dissolve her seven year old marriage. The atmosphere at the court was tense and everyone shuddered at how resolute and unyielding she sounded. No one needed to be told that the woman had gone through enough to have demanded that the nuptial cord be severed without further delay!
"Do it now", she shouted to the judge from her seat.
"Take caution, Madam, allow me to do my job", her counsel warned her.
"Any further outburst from your client will attract a stiff penalty", the judge warned her lawyer.
Buhari tied the knots with his long-sought-after wife in 2015. His joy knew no bounds the moment he recited the marriage vows as administered by the judge at the city square, with thousands of people in attendance.
Shortly after the reception at his official residence, Buhari left his newly wedded wife and travelled out to a neighbouring city to celebrate his marriage with another woman, probably a sidechick! It was understood that he had waited for about twelve years before 'Fatima' finally agreed to his proposal, hence, he might have been playing into the arms of another lady, while waiting for Fatima!
One is left to wonder what serious business he has with the family of 'Fati', that he had to travel and celebrate his marriage with them. The warm reception he got was mouthwatering, as he was treated like a king who had just conquered another territory in a fierce battle.
Meanwhile, the poor and unsuspecting 'Fatima' was innocent of the insidious plot to use her resources to nurture 'Fati'. Buhari had assured Fati's family that his marriage to his beloved second wife will be of enormous advantage to them, when the latter's father accused him of planning to use and dump his daughter.
'Megida, nothing of such, Fati means a lot to me and I've never imagined leaving her because of anything. I assure you that marrying Fatima will only bring good fortunes to Fati and your family, I promise".
Things were initially hard during the early days of Buhari's marriage to Fatima. The young family was practically running on deficits, as they had to apply for loans from the available vendors to keep the body and soul together. Yet, in spite of the very scarce resources at the family's disposal, Buhari's itinerary spans through countless territories, most of which were just for tourism, clubbing and partying, rather than attracting the needed financial boost for the family.
However, his marriage to Fatima came with power, influence and recognition among the community of the who's who in the city and within a short period of time, the family tasted some good fortunes and Buhari booked a seat among the upper class. Thereafter, in a manner that was more ostentatious than altruistic, he embarked on an onslaught and witch-hunt of his former rivals, accusing them of various forms of impropriety, whether backed up with evidence or not.
Fatima must have been enamored by the charm and handsomeness of her tall and sleek suitor, who had a special way of working his way to her heart with his diastematic smile. She was completely blown away by his popularity in the city and couldn't have turned down his offer. But now that the reality of things has dawned on her, she regrets having judged a book by its cover.
Trouble actually started after three years of marriage, when the couple's residence started to leak from the roof while daddy busied himself with the building of an ultra-modern family house for Fati's family. This later came to the notice of Fatima, who seriously frowned at the action but her husband made her understand that Fatima's father is his biggest clent and that gesture was only needed to strengthen his business networks.
Fatima thought that will be all with her husband's reckless philanthropy to the Fati's family but she got it all wrong. While the situations in the family grew from bad to worse, Buhari did not renege a bit on his commitment towards caring for Fati. In a brazen act of irresponsibility, he abandoned the renovation of the house's main gate but instead, opened the financial vault of the family once more towards bringing Fati's wares for sale in Fatima's shop. The irony of the matter being that Fatima also sells the same type of wares and is a bigger marketer than Fati (for that matter!)
Eventually, the last straw that broke the camel's back was his recent purchase of expensive cosmetics and jewelry for Fati while Fatima is there begging for funds to restock and expand her shop. To Fatima, it was as if her husband was probably being remote-controlled from Fati's town, resulting in his inability to make proper and timely decisions. After much thought, she decided she had had and seen enough, it was high time she called it quits. She contacted her lawyer and filed a divorce…
The court was pin-drop silent after the plaintiff concluded their complaint, the judge then requested that the defendant respond appropriately.
The defending counsel opened the defence by reminding the court that the marriage can not be dissolved as it is, the reason being that, based on the contract that was agreed upon at the start, it is legally binding that the marriage should at least last for four years before any dissolution could be possible.
The lawyer continued in his defence by revealing that the contract was renewed for another four years at the expiration of the initial one in 2019, that means, if there won't be any breach of contract, Buhari and Fatima still have about nine months before the expiration of the current contract.
"My client, Mallam Buhari is a very popular and honest man in this city, with no prior record of wrongdoing whatsoever. He has been involved in philanthropic acts ever before he met Fatima, infact in Fati's town, he is regarded as 'the honourable one', as a matter of fact, he has the highest honours of the town, this explains why he has been involved in sponsoring various developmental projects in the town".
"And as a person who also believes in inter-city trade and effective working relations, he is diligently poised towards actions that would foster those gemlike values. My lord, my client has never been caught flirting with any other woman since he married Fatima, therefore, I see no reason why he should be accused of infidelity in this matter, this claim is grossly unfounded, starved of evidence and lacks merit before this honourable court", the defending counsel argued.
In his ruling, the presiding judge asked if Fatima had initiated a discussion parley to resolve the conflict with her husband, she responded that her husband has not been responsive to all her efforts to deescalate the crises but instead, kept justifying his controversial and irritable actions.
After cross-examination of enough witnesses, the judge delivered his verdict. He condemned the honourable Mallam for neglecting his house while catering for others. He equally reprimanded Fatima for failing to make informed decisions, maintaining that she could have ended the alliance three years ago if she had refused to sign the legal documents for the extension of the marriage contracts.
"As it is now, the current contract is still in force and given the lack of strong evidence to prove that Buhari had breached any of the terms of this contract, the plaintiff's plea for divorce is not granted and is struck out for lack of merit. I will advise that the plaintiff endure the last nine months of this contract and be patient and careful when next she has to choose another suitor in 2023", the Judge ruled.
"I will personally advise Fatima to look beyond beauty, popularity and materialism this time around. Your decision must be based on character, competence and capacity and not just on how you feel, do the needful by listening patiently to what each of these suitors have in stock for you, do a research on their backgrounds, think things out and then make your final decision".
"And bear this in mind, there will be those who will come with sugar-coated tongues, they will be so persuasive and you will be easily moved by their articulate speech, do not fall for them, some will also come in sparkling brocades, expensive cars and crisp currency notes to woo you over, remember, if you sell your heart to them as such a cheap rate, they won't hesitate to treat you like the pennyworth you've reduced yourself to"
"Like a father, I speak to you like a daughter, hold your head high, preserve that value which you've got, don't throw your pearls in front of dogs and go for the best no matter how rough it looks"
"I rise…"
Copyright Paragon Sleuth 2022
Credits: Resolution law firm, Cheedzart (via Twitter), 123RF, other sources via Facebook and WhatsApp are duly acknowledged.
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