It's Illegal to Claim Wife Status Before First Marriage Is Legally Dissolved - Rita Edochie

Nollywood actress Rita Edochie has stated that it is illegal for a woman to claim marriage to a man who has not legally dissolved his existing statutory marriage, insisting that neither family acceptance nor a grand wedding ceremony can validate such a union while the man's earlier marriage remains legally subsisting.

She shared the assertion on her Instagram page on Tuesday morning, amid her ongoing legal dispute with Judy Austin, the second wife of her nephew-in-law, Yul Edochie.

In her post, Rita insisted that a man cannot unilaterally declare his statutory marriage over simply because the relationship has broken down.

‘A man who has contracted a statutory marriage cannot simply decide that the marriage is over and move on to marry another woman under the same law.

‘Until the first marriage is properly dissolved, it remains a subsisting marriage.

‘Living apart, fighting, stopping communication or even having children with another woman does not automatically end it,’ she wrote.

She added that a man's private assurances carry no legal weight.

‘A man telling you that 'my first wife is no longer my wife' does not make it a legal fact.

‘His family accepting you does not make it legal either.

‘Even a grand wedding ceremony cannot simply erase an existing statutory marriage. A man's promise is not a divorce decree,’ she wrote.

Rita also urged women not to be swayed by emotional arguments over legal ones.

‘And please, do not argue with the law using emotions. It does not matter who he loves more, who he has been living with, or who he claims is his 'real wife.'

‘The law is concerned with the legal status of the existing marriage, not the story you have been told in private,’ she stated.

She warned that a second statutory marriage contracted while the first remains valid could carry serious consequences.

‘Where the first statutory marriage is still subsisting, a subsequent statutory marriage can be void and may carry serious legal consequences.

‘So before you accept the title of 'second wife,' ask the question many people are too afraid to ask: has the first marriage actually been dissolved by law?’ she wrote.

Touching on inheritance disputes that often trail such situations, she cautioned against relying on online claims.

‘It is wrong to simply say that the second woman automatically inherits nothing while the first wife automatically inherits everything.

‘Succession can depend on a will, the applicable law, ownership of the property, children and other legal circumstances. Inheritance is not a matter of who shouts the loudest on Facebook,’ she wrote.

She opened her post with pointed remarks apparently directed at her ongoing dispute.

‘I must enter the Ajah mansion by fire by thunder... You wish...

‘Desperation can make you ignore the red flag... Stop calling yourself a 'second wife' when the man has not legally divorced his first wife.

‘Your feelings, his promises, and your ignorance of the law do not make an invalid marriage valid!’ she wrote.

She closed with a final caution to women considering such unions: ‘So, before you accept a man's word that you are his 'second wife,' find out what the law’ says.