The divorce case between controversial actor Yul Edochie and his first wife, May, has been a subject of public interest for some time now. May filed for a divorce from her husband, Yul Edochie, in August 2023. However, the case has been stalled thrice, with the most recent delay occurring on 5 March 2024.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the ongoing case at the FCT High Court in Abuja was unexpectedly delayed on 5 March 2024.
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The court session did not proceed as planned, a circumstance Yul and Judy Austin attributed to their actions.
At the time, Mr Edochie denied marrying Judy, saying they were skitmakers. In May 2024, it was again adjourned to June because Yul and Judy’s lawyer wrote a letter to the court stating that he was unwell and would not be present in court today.
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On Wednesday, May’s legal team, led by Emeka Ugwuonye of Due Process Advocates (DPA), posted an update on the lingering case on his Facebook page.
Compulsory conference
Mr Ugwuonye explained that the issue before the court today was the report of the compulsory conference the court had ordered the parties to hold.
A compulsory conference is a crucial part of the family law procedure under Nigerian law, ensuring a fair and just resolution.
He explained: ‘‘When a husband and his wife come to court for divorce, the court must direct the parties and their lawyers to meet and hold a conference between the two sides. The purpose of this conference is to allow the parties to try to reach an agreement on some if not all, the disputed issues before the court.
‘‘A successful conference will resolve some of the issues. For example, the parties may agree on how to share their marital properties. Whatever they agree will be conveyed to the court through the conference report. If they disagree, they should also inform the court. If they disagree, the court may ask them to go back and hold more talks’’.
May’s lawyer also added that the last time the case came up, the parties informed the court that they had not filed their report.
He noted: ”That meant that the discussions they held were not conclusive or that they could not reach an agreement. The court gave them time to present their report. Today, after hearing that the parties still had discrepancies, the court granted them more time to hold another conference virtually to see if they would agree”.
Mr Ugwuonye then revealed that the hearing will continue in March.
According to him, the court expects to receive a report or a clear indication that the parties disagreed at the next hearing. That will guide the court in setting the direction of the trial.
Moving forward
The lawyer said the update is simply an objective summary of the present state of this case and not meant to present the view of any one side.
He said: ‘‘We give this report to avoid having to answer questions individually about where the case stands now. Judy’s involvement in the case is only because she is being accused of committing adultery with Mr Edochie and falsely claiming to be married to him when she knew that Yul Edochie is not eligible to marry another woman’’.
This accusation has added a layer of complexity to the case.
Yul unveiled Judy as his second wife in April 2022 after they welcomed a son. Since then, they have continuously been on the social media radar for one controversy or another.
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