Maverick entertainer and rights activist, Charles Oputa, popularly known as CharlyBoy, on Saturday formally wedded his American wife Diane in a church after 40 years of marriage.
The sacrament of matrimony was celebrated at the Chapel of Sisters of Jesus the Redeemer Catholic Church in Gwarimpa, Abuja.
It was officiated by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Dioceses Mathew Kukah, with friends and relatives of the couple including CharlyBoy’s aged mother, in attendance.
Archbishop of Abuja Catholic Diocese Cardinal John Onaiyekan was also in attendance among other clergymen.
Cardinal Onaiyekan, in his exhortation, hailed the couple for staying together for over four decades.
He, however, urged them to be committed to their marriage vows by showing mutual love, understanding and respect for each other.
“I specially congratulate Charles and his wife for this Godly decision, and I pray God to keep them together,” he said.
Speaking with NAN after the ceremony, CharlyBoy said he and his wife decided to wed in church to honour his agedmother.
The 67-year-old said he got married as a teenager in 1974, and secured divorced after the union produced one child.
He noted that the Catholic Church observed a strict marital doctrine.
“This is not that kind of marriage withfanfare; I am doing it to please my aged mother and meet certain demands of the society.
“She has been pleading that we do the right thing, saying this is the woman I have been living with for 40 years.
“We have been following through with theprocess of annulment of my last marriage, and my former wife who has sinceremarried cooperated very well, and then in 2017, the marriage was formally annulled.
“My mother actually got the wife for me at the age of 19 because I was a little rascally with women as a young man; she thinks it would curb my sexual excesses,” he said.
“Signed up for another 40 years today.
“My mumu can never do with this my friend.
“My new wife is the old wife.
“Today we renewed our vows,” he later wrote on social media.
Born a Catholic to the late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, CharlyBoy has nine children from different women and has 16 grandchildren.
He met Diane in the United States of America while he was a student.
Speaking in an interview with QedTV
