Not many will be stupefied if scorned Ekpo, who feels cheated, used and maltreated, leveraged the purported unpleasant lived experience and the pain and suffering he claimed to have endured during the period he was married to Mayowa to push for the revocation of her US citizenship, a matter and possibility that has been thinly broached by his legal team in their response to her cease and desist notice.
On Tuesday, renowned media personality Ray Ekpo opened up about the chaotic, turbulent, and precarious state of his life during his marriage to his now estranged wife, on-air personality Mayowa Lambe. A visibly disenchanted and despondent Ekpo narrated how Mayowa had maltreated and spurned him, despite his efforts to make their marriage work.
He spoke when he featured in the recent edition of the HonestBunch podcast. He accused Mayowa of infidelity and deception, stating that she hoodwinked him and secretly used contraceptives so as not to get pregnant for him.
Roby and Mayowa married in November 2015, though the pair kept most details of their matrimony private. Neither the pair openly confirmed nor denied their separation, but Mayowa recently married another man in Texas, United States.
“After 11 years of marriage, I woke up to videos and pictures of my wife on Instagram getting married to another man,” Ekpo said.
Ekpo disclosed he had to go for a medical check-up as he worried that her inability to conceive was due to his own inability to impregnate her which in turn made it impossible to have kids.
“I am 48 years old, I don’t have a kid, I started going for tests because I thought I was the problem, I thought I had fertility issues. I later found out that she was taking contraceptives,” he teary and emotional Ekpo said.
Roby and Mayowa married in November 2015
The media personality also claimed that Mayowa told him she was travelling to the United States for a surgery that would enable her to conceive, but instead went for a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL).
He alleged that even routine communication became a point of suspicion in their marriage.
“Mayowa travelled to Miami to do BBL. She told me she went for surgery that would enable her to conceive. If I sent my wife a message on her Instagram DM, she would question me about why I was sending a message there. She would say ‘they (immigration) check’.” He said.
Ekpo said he sent Lambe money for a flight back to Nigeria in 2025, her first return since 2021.
The on-air personality said their marriage not only left him emotionally, mentally and psychologically broken but also drained him financially, noting he once sent N200,000 from a N500,000 gig to his estranged wife.
He also shared what he said was a conversation in which Lambe told someone else that he was not satisfying her “financially, spiritually, and sexually”.
“10 years of my life. If I had a kid out of wedlock, I would have justified that Mayowa can do whatever she likes, what did I do, but just love. Mayowa travelled for six years; with the little money I was earning, I was sending money to Mayowa every time. I was sending flowers. Since 2021, I have not seen Mayowa again, until last year, when I sent her ticket money to come to Nigeria. I went to the airport in two cars. I could not get a clip of hugging my wife. She did not kiss me. I slept in the living room for two days. I will send her N200k from the N500k gig,” He said.
Ekpo alleged that Lambe shared an apartment abroad with a male flatmate — something he said he was uncomfortable with.
“She got a house and got a male flatmate. I was not comfortable with it, only for me to find out two days ago that the flatmate was sleeping with her. (It was not the same guy she married). I saw a picture of her sitting on a man’s leg at a restaurant,” he added.
The lawsuit that followed
After Roby’s tell-it-all, no-holds-barred, explosive interview about his marital troubles, Mayowa responded with a cease and desist notice. She also demanded a public retraction and N100 million in damages over remarks he made about her on a podcast.
Mayowa Lambe, the ex-wife of Nigerian On-Air-Personality Robert Ekpo, popularly known as Roby Ekpo, has issued him a cease-and-desist notice demanding a public retraction and N100 million in damages over statements he made about her on a podcast.
The notice, dated 22 April and issued by Aunt Landa’s Bethel Foundation Legal Department on behalf of Ms Lambe, accused Ekpo of making defamatory claims and spreading false narratives about her during his appearance on The Honest Bunch podcast.
“A cease & desist has been issued. Let this be clear: There is no existing marital relationship. There is verifiable evidence contradicting these claims. Take down all false content, issue a public retraction & apology, pay ₦100,000,000 in damages. This is no longer social media discourse,” The document read in part.
According to the notice, Mayowa, through her legal representative, alleged that Ekpo engaged in a “deliberate and sustained campaign of falsehood,” presenting unverified claims about her personal life as facts.
The foundation further stated that such actions had led to reputational damage, online harassment and public ridicule directed at their client.
Mayowa demanded that he immediately cease further publication of alleged defamatory statements, pull down all related content across his platforms, issue a public retraction and apology via the same platforms used to spread the claims, and pay N100 million in damages.
The notice also warned that failure to comply within three days would result in legal proceedings, including claims for aggravated damages, injunctive relief and criminal complaints to appropriate authorities.
According to the posted on the foundation’s official X handle, third parties peddling and amplifying the allegations may also be held accountable, saying, “Individuals engaging in cyberbullying or spreading false narratives may also be held accountable.”
Roby countersues
No sooner had Mayowa hit him with a N100 million naira defamation suit than Roby hit back with a lawsuit of his own against his ex-wife.
Epko stated that he had irrefutable proof to back up the claims he made and described Mayowa’s cease and desist notice and her N100 million damages demand as excessive, unfounded and premature.
Ekpo responded to Mayowa’s legal team’s demands through his counsel at TAP Legal Services in a letter dated April 23 and signed by M. M. Obonb and addressed to Chinedu Nwaneri of Aunt Landa’s Bethel Foundation.
He shared the legal rebuttal on his response his official Instagram handle on Thursday, a day after Lambe’s legal team published the original notice demanding he rescind claims he made about her on The Honest Bunch podcast.
The letter had what appeared to be an official mark of the Nigerian Bar Association.
It acknowledged receipt of the original notice but said their client “categorically denies the allegations as presented” and “takes strong exception to the characterisation of his statements as false, malicious, or defamatory.”
The letter read, “Any statements made by him, whether privately or on public platforms, were based on his personal experiences, understanding of events, and matters he reasonably believes to be true. At no time did he act with malice or with the intent to injure your client’s reputation.”
It further read, “The issues referenced arise from a complex interpersonal relationship, the facts of which cannot be selectively presented to construct a misleading narrative against our client.”
Ekpo’s lawyers also disclosed that their client is armed with “documentary and testimonial evidence that directly contradicts several assertions” in Lambe’s notice, including communications, records of interactions and other materials which they said would be presented “at the appropriate time and forum.”
The letter read, “Should your client proceed with legal action, our client will robustly defend the suit and reserve the right to file appropriate counterclaims, including, but not limited to, claims for harassment, intimidation, and reputational harm arising from false or exaggerated accusations.”
In a particularly pointed addition, the letter stated that Lambe’s notice contained “an admission of some of our client’s claims,” and that Ekpo reserved the right to tender it in evidence in a petition to United States authorities, specifically naming the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.”
The letter also read, “While our client remains open to lawful and structured resolution mechanisms, he will not be coerced into admissions or concessions under threat. Kindly govern yourselves accordingly.”
The furore and public hysteria that characterised Ekpo’s revelation about his marriage to Mayowa and the threat of legal action from both parties that followed it have highlighted the complex dynamics that often typify long-distance relationships among public figures, particularly the type where the emotional burden and financial responsibilities are heavily one-sided.
As it stands, should both parties decide to settle the matter in court which will likely involve the United States judiciary and immigration agency, Mayowa could lose his citizenship as the questionable circumstances surrounding her marriage to her new husband and the procurement of her Green card will certainly be a matter for serious contestation in court.
Not many will be stupefied if scorned Ekpo, who feels cheated, used and maltreated, leveraged the purported unpleasant lived experience and the pain and suffering he claimed to have endured during the period he was married to Mayowa to push for the revocation of her US citizenship, a matter and possibility that has been thinly broached by his legal team in their response to her cease and desist notice.
The odds are heavily stacked against Mayowa and the chances of things going her way if the matter goes to court are quite slim. She is already losing in the court of public opinion. To clear her name, she will need more than a hastily conjured cease and desist notice that, to some extent, incriminates her as it ironically corroborates the claims of Ekpo, and present a sound and solid argument and back it up with incontrovertible evidence of her own to successfully and totally refute the allegations and claims of Ekpo.
