‘I regret allowing my wife to go into politics’

A petrol marketer, Wasiu Badmus, yesterday expressed sadness that he allowed his wife, Suliyat, to go into politics, saying “she has now become a prostitute.” Badmus said that though he warned Suliyat when she indicated interest in joining a political party in Ibadan that men usually have romantic affairs with female politicians, he later allowed […]

A petrol marketer, Wasiu Badmus, yesterday expressed sadness that he allowed his wife, Suliyat, to go into politics, saying “she has now become a prostitute.”

Badmus said that though he warned Suliyat when she indicated interest in joining a political party in Ibadan that men usually have romantic affairs with female politicians, he later allowed her to have her way because he trusted her then.

He said, “But as soon as Suliyat began to attend rallies and political meetings, I started hearing negative stories of how men were carrying her about. Precisely on February 28 this year, I saw a top male politician in the community returning her at around 11.30 pm and I was sad.

“Since that time, the earliest time she came home was midnight and she stopped taking instructions from me.

“Not too long after, vigilantes alerted me around 2am one night that the same top politician just dropped her. I then saw them together. I reported her to an elderly politician in the neighbourhood who promised to intervene, but her attitude even worsened.

“Moreover, I overheard Suliyat, in a mobile phone conversation, booking an appointment with a man about their meeting point and time. When she was not there, I checked her phone, got the phone number and I discovered that it was the same man when I called him.

“Later, Suliyat attacked me that I was threatening her and reported me at the police station.”

He added that the police investigated the matter and were surprised to know that she had been unfaithful to him.

Suliyat had filed a petition for divorce on the grounds that her husband was monitoring her affairs and threatening her existence and right to movement.

“Wasiu has been molesting me around such that I no longer feel secure,” she argued.

The court president, Chief Ademola Odunade, dissolved the union “in the interest of peace” and awarded custody of the five children in the marriage to Badmus.