Last weekend, fresh reports surfaced online about the 7-month old crisis rocking Tonto Dikeh's relationship with her estranged hubby, Olakunle Churchill. A text message she sent to her mother-in-law was released online and Churchill's first wife also came into picture supporting Tonto Dikeh and threatening to expose Churchill.
LIB met Churchill at a conference where he spoke about unveiling a new Anti-Domestic Violence programme. Though reluctant at first, Churchill agreed to speak with us.
In this tell-all interview, Churchill calls out Azuka of Media Room Hub who he says refused to publish the evidence he gave to her because she has mutual friends with Tonto Dikeh. He also went to say he's done fighting to save the relationship.
Let's talk about your new domestic violence initiative?
The domestic violence campaign that we are embarking on with some partners from United Kingdom. We'll be setting up a domestic violence center where we'll have a call center to link up cases of emergencies with hospitals and police stations to give quick response and aids to victims of domestic violence. The issue of domestic violence cuts across men and women but most times the attention and focus is always on women, so this initiative seeks to investigate and examine all cases of domestic violence because we'll be working with the police and relevant authorities.
Your relationship with Tonto Dikeh has been marred with accusations of domestic violence, how do you intend to deal with that and your new campaign?
The truth is, what you read in the news is different from reality. My partner fights dirty and that's what she's put out there. Tonto will say anything to sound believable and gain public sympathy and that's what she puts out there. It's not real, I've never laid my hands on her ever. I'm not a violent person and I'm not temperamental, as a matter of fact I don;t take offence on anything at all, that's how God made me, people who are close to me knows this, when I'm upset about something I simply avoid the offender and come to terms with the fact that I don't need such vibes around me.
So how do you defend allegations that you beat her, made her lose a 4-month pregnancy and always cheat on her.
They are all fabricated, because my partner believes she's a celebrity and she can make people believe whatever she wants them to believe and using her celebrity status to manipulate people to believe what she wants and she's in the business of make-belief but I'm a businessman, a man of very few words too. I am a private person, but she prides herself on the fact that she has the platform and fan base to bring anyone down and she also feels by the time she deals with me, I'll come back begging.
I met Tonto like 6-months before she took in, so where did the initial 4 months pregnancy come from or did it come after she gave birth to my son?
Because she traveled during her pregnancy and came back when King was 4-month old and we had only stayed together for about 6-months after that before all the issues started, she was still breast feeding. And if indeed she had and lost a 4-month pregnancy, that will require for her to do an evacuation, which hospital did it for her and evidence does she have? It was all done to bring down my image and o destroy my reputation.
Have you actually attempted to beg and make peace?
Yes I have. The main thing that started this fight was between she and my mum and it was very dirty. I bought a house for my mum in Lekki and she came over from overseas so we can do a house warming party to launch it and just 24-hours before the house warming party, my partner got angry over a very flimsy issue and she just started breaking stuffs and scattering the house and in the process while my mum was trying to calm her down, she pushed my mum down as well. I had never seen that in my life, I had to prostrate for my mum to apologize and that was how the house warning party was cancelled because it was just 24-hours to the party and Tonto had destroyed the house, breaking and damaging things.
This happened on December 20th and the following day I packed a few of my things and traveled to Ghana. So I felt she was scared or confused on how to handle it, so she went online and started the stunts by removing Churchill from her name. And don't forget, I said this issue happened on December 20th, on the 22nd, she had one of her charity events where she kicked off a road construction work at The Karamajiji Colony Abuja of people living with disabilities on Friday, December 23, 2016 courtesy of the Big Church Foundation pledge at the walk for love event. She looked all good without any signs of beating or domestic violence which shows it was a false allegation that i laid my hands on her.
In fairness to her, while I was in Ghana, she sent a lot of text messages to apologize but I guess I took too long because I was away for over two weeks and then she just switched on me. Truth is I was actually In shock. She did that just one day to my mum's event, we had already called people, invited pastors to bless the house and all only to cancel it at the last minute because my partner destroyed the house.
So she played a fast one when I saw the story on Stella's blog with the 'rumors had it stunt' in January this year which began this whole process. Truth is, I only traveled to Ghana for a charity event with my staffs from the Abuja office just before my birthday,
What do you think is making her this bitter to fight you this much despite the love that once existed between you two?
Some people simply don't like to loose a battle and because she's a celebrity, what happened was too heavy for her to bear. She felt if the news got out, it'll be bad for her so she switched it and once she started to play the victim card, she had to continue it but it got to a point when she left my house with my son and nanny before I came back to Nigeria and she went on to grant an interview where she accused me of domestic violence and it's all lies, there's nothing like a four month pregnancy or any of the other lies. I was not even in the country when she claimed she ran away from the house because of domestic violence. So it was all planned and she took her time to pack everything because the estate still has the CCTV footage of her moving out with a Sienna and a truck.
From that interview with Azuka, she showed images of an alleged domestic violence, but she also put on a pendant (with the diamond crown customized with my son's name which I handed over to her on December 1, 2016. And in the same picture, she alleged loosing 4-months pregnancy wearing the same cloth and the same pendant. It just doesn't make sense bearing in mind that the fracas happened at my mum's home on December 20th so the timelines just don't match. she keeps complicating herself. Even the pictire she showed during the interview was shown from her phone, it wasn't clear.
Then you also granted your own interview as well?
Yea, I wouldn't have granted that interview, but the allegations were too much and because of my brand. She called me a murderer, wife beater, claimed I gave her STDs and even said my foundation is a scam and everyone knows we don;t collect money from any one for the foundation, we only use the 10% profit from Big Church Group to run it, just like paying tithe.
So I had to grant the interview when the Azuka lady from MediaRooom Hub came to me to debunk those allegations but unfortunately all the evidences I gave to Azuka was never used. I heard Azuka also went to Ghana to make findings from the embassy and police but she refused to publish all the truth she found out because she has mutual friends with Tonto Dikeh. God knows I wouldn't have granted her the interview, but they were the ones who interviewed my partner so I felt it was right I also speak through the same medium with facts.
Do you think there's still room to make it work out between you guys?
Oh, I've tried, but it's just like seeing danger and you going for it. I tried to get the relationship back so I could help her condition and because of my kid but she doesn't want peace.
While you guys were together, you produced a movie 'Kada River', why didn't she act in it?
For me, my work life is different from my family life, I try to separate it. When we started work on the movie, we weren't really in god terms even though I told her about the project. The truth is, instead of her wasting this much energy in trying to bring her husband down, I think she can put that energy to good use by going back to work and be productive. If you don't want the marriage again, you don't need to be dramatic about it by telling the world because they really don't care about you. I think she should go back to movies, reconcile with people she's offended in the industry and be humble.
What's the relationship with your son and your reaction to the fact that she dressed as you to attend his father's day event in school?
That's the main reason why I was trying to make it work, because she does somethings that are not normal at all. And only someone close to her can save her because she needs help. It's been 7-months now and all she's been doing is to give me a bad name.
She makes it look like I don't care about my son. I help other kids, so why will i ignore my son. Since my son got back to country when he was 4-months, I opened a Zenith bank account for him and his mum is he sole signatory to that account. I put money in that account regularly. I send money to her own account as well and she won't even acknowledge the money when she gets it but she goes on saying I don't take care of my son.
I've invited her family over to try and make peace but she's been deceiving everyone and goes back online to pull her stunts and the truth is King's passport has been with me since he got back from the states.
She recently said she's taken King to alot of countries in the last one year?
King has never stepped out of Africa since he got back at 4-month old. I have been with his international passport, the only place he could have gone is Ghana with hos Ecowas passport in her possession.
A few days back, your first wife also came online to speak against your mum?
The true story about that is this My first wife and marriage was a mistake, I was rushed into it. We had only dated for 6-weeks before we did something in her church. there was no registry, court. We didn't even go through the normal process of counselling and all that, like I said we had only dated for 6-weeks. I only got to know later that the church thing we did was fast tracked. We had separated for 2-years and 7-months before I met Tonto. The priest form the church said the marriage was wrong and should be annulled but she insisted on getting paper works when Tonto started with her Mr X saga. and I don't like wasting my life or my time so I had to move on because she told me she has moved on too and we didn't have any child together. So in all honesty, we had gone our separate ways before Tonto Dikeh came into the picture and Tonto knew about it all and the process of getting the paperwork sorted from my first marriage since she insisted and that is why I and Tonto didn't didn't do any official yet till we got it sorted out.
So we only went to meet the chiefs in Tonto's place because she was pregnant. We've not even done the proper traditional marriage. So I kind of find the connection between my first wife and Tonto Dikeh very strange because the last I know, they weren't on talking terms and they never met but then I also know Tonto can do anything to bring me down even as the father of her child.
Both of them seem to have an attack against your mum in common as well?
What they are doing is planned. I see they've been liking each other's posts on Instagram and the way Tonto operates is this. If she wants to bring you down, she'll be friends with your enemy, she fights so hard.
But the truth is, they both had issues with my mum, and I don't understand why my wife will not respect my mum. I can't just get married to you in one year and you are insulting my mum and calling her names, pushing her down. They know I love my mum so much and will do anything for her. It's not like you are lacking or suffering as a wife but anytime I do something for my mum, it becomes a problem. I know what that woman has been through, she goes on many days dry fasting for my sake so you don't expect me to allow her to be disrespected.
In conclusion, what's the plan you have for your son?
For my son, I don't want him to grow up in that kind of environment and I also didn't want to do anything to hurt Tonto because she's the mother of my child. In real life, I'm easy going, I'm not a trouble maker but the way she paints me as a trouble maker, I should have gone to her house and forcefully take my son or take her to court and start dragging a case, but I've not done none of that, I'm letting her take her time because he's my son and no one can take that away.
Tonto is the kind of person that I can go to her house to see my son and just knocking at her door, she'll scream domestic violence again, she knows how to manipulate things, so you have to be very careful with that kind of person.
Reflecting over everything now, do you think you relationship with her was a mistake?
Yes it was and I knew it when I was going into it. I knew I was going into danger, but I was ready to go into it to save her, but right now I do not care anymore, I'm done, I can' deal with it anymore. I don't want the relationship anymore. She says I borrowed money from her and I'm like how? where is the evidence? At least I gave her 10 million naira last Christmas and I have proof of payment, so if she borrowed me money, she should prove it.
All these kind of negativity comes from someone who said she fasted 21 days before she met me, someone who said I brought her closer to God, so where is God in this situation and the way she wants my downfall?
Now that you are single again, would you consider going into any relationship again?
NO. I don't have any plans for that. Now it's just business because I'm still in shock.
