Veteran Nollywood actress Rita Edochie has said the ongoing dispute over the properties of late actor John Okafor is a painful reminder of the problems associated with polygamy.

Reacting to the public feud within the late actor’s family, Edochie said the situation has exposed the damage multiple relationships and unresolved family structures can cause after a person’s death.

“Mr Ibu did not do well. The situation playing out in his family has become a painful reminder that polygamy has done more harm than good,” she said.

Her comments come amid a public dispute involving Mr Ibu’s widow, Stella Maris, and some of the actor’s children, including those from previous relationships and children reportedly fathered outside his marriage. The disagreement centres on the management and ownership of the late actor’s properties and other family matters.

Edochie argued that such conflicts often arise in polygamous families, urging people to reflect on the long-term consequences of raising children in complicated family settings.

She maintained that while some people may defend polygamy, the circumstances surrounding Mr Ibu’s family have reinforced her belief that the practice creates more problems than it solves.

The actress’s remarks have since sparked mixed reactions on social media, with some users agreeing that the ongoing family dispute highlights the challenges associated with polygamy, while others argued that the crisis stems from poor estate planning and family disagreements rather than polygamy alone.

Nollywood actor, Yul Edochie, has said that he has come to the realisation that a man can love two women at the same time.

He said this as he revisits his recently unveiled polygamy as he has married a second wife – a colleague of his who already has a child for him.

His revelation in this respect has sparked a lot of controversies with many attacking him.

In a video on Friday, however, he continues to tell the story of the consolidation of the second marriage.

e notes: “I have heard from people that a man can’t love two women at the same time. I used to believe it until it happened to me, I realised that never say never. At this point in my life, I think it is possible for a man to love two women.

“Two women can be in your life and bring different things to your life. They reason in different ways, they contribute different things to your life, and make you realise that is just the way it is.

“Yes it’s wrong, I take the blame for that. Things happened, it happened to me and I realised I couldn’t let this woman leave my life.

“You may say the circumstances are wrong, but these things happen, and then you realise you can’t let this person go. This person has a lot of impact on your life, you don’t want this person to go.

Speaking of his two wives, Edochie called them “wonderful women in their respective rights” as they both bring “different things to the table.”

The actor caused a stir on the Internet in April, after announcing his second marriage to colleague, Judy Austin, adding that she already had a son for him.

Former media aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, has said that God, based on the Bible, does not condemn polygamy.

What He hates, Omokri notes, is divorce.

He makes the submission in response to the controversy often surrounding the topic, saying:

”Well, what I am about to say is purely my personal opinion, from my understanding of Scripture. I do not speak for Christianity as a faith.

If we go by 2 Samuel 12:8, we see that God Himself gave David multiple wives. That verse says “I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives.” Also, Old Testament Prophets were polygamous. The New Testament mandates monogamy for only overseers-1 Timothy 3:2. I can not say polygamy is a sin.

However, the definition of what is sinful in the New Testament is subjective. According to the New Testament, “whatever is not from faith is sin”-Romans 14:23.

From the above, if you do anything from the conviction of your faith, flowing from your conscience, it is not sinful. However, if your conscience is against it, then it is sin for you.

What God hates is divorce. We see this in Malachi 2:6. You will never see anywhere where God condemned polygamy. Some people quote Matthew 19:5 and Genesis 2:24 “a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” Some people understand this to mean that polygamy is out of the question. But among the Commandments that God gave the Israelites through Moses, were laws governing polygamy, for example Exodus 21:10, Deuteronomy 21:15-17.

However, let me restate that these are not doctrines. These are my privately held opinions which I will never preach on an altar as the ‘thus says the Lord’.

Thank you and may God bless you.”