A Lagos State High Court has ruled that Mrs. Adenike Oluyemisi Ajayi is the sole lawful widow of the late medical practitioner and businessman, Dr. Tosin Ajayi.
Gatekeepers News reports that the court rejected claims by former beauty queen and lawyer, Helen Prest-Ajayi, that she was also married to the deceased.
The court held that the marriage between Adenike and Dr. Ajayi remained valid until his death because there was no evidence that the union had been legally dissolved.
The judge noted that separation alone does not terminate a statutory marriage, thereby affirming Adenike’s status as the deceased’s only legally recognized spouse.
The dispute arose from a long-running legal battle over the estate of the late Dr. Ajayi, founder of First Foundation Medical Engineering Company, who died intestate in April 2020.
Adenike and her children had approached the court seeking declarations that she was the only surviving spouse and that Helen Prest was not entitled to any share of the estate as a widow.
Helen Prest had argued that she married Dr. Ajayi under Kalabari native law and custom in 1996 and presented photographs, letters, publications, and other documents to support her claim. She also maintained that she lived with the deceased for many years and was publicly acknowledged as his wife.
However, the court rejected the claim, ruling that the evidence presented was insufficient to establish a legally recognized marriage capable of displacing the existing statutory marriage between Adenike and Dr. Ajayi.
The judgment effectively ends years of litigation over who qualifies as the deceased’s lawful widow and who is entitled to administer aspects of his estate.
