Senator Ekweremadu, a former Deputy President of Nigeria's upper legislative chamber, was jailed along with his wife, Beatrice on May 5, 2023, by a United Kingdom court.
Joe Igbokwe, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, has knocked Senator Ike Ekweremadu’s son, Lloyd, for having an elaborate wedding in the absence of his parents.
Senator Ekweremadu, a former Deputy President of Nigeria's upper legislative chamber, was jailed along with his wife, Beatrice on May 5, 2023, by a United Kingdom court.
While Ekweremadu was handed a nine years and eight months jail term, his wife, Beatrice, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison while a doctor who allegedly colluded with them, Obinna Obeta, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for organ trafficking plot.
The Ekweremadus are currently serving their jail terms in the United Kingdom prison.
However, Lloyd got married to Tiffany Adaobi Obinna-Uzor at the Basilica of Grace, Anglican Communion, Gudu District, Abuja, on Saturday.
But reacting to the wedding ceremony which was attended by prominent Nigerians including three former Senate Presidents, Igbokwe took to his Facebook page on Sunday to lambast Lloyd.
He said he did not wish for children who would do such to him.
Igbokwe described the former Senator’s son as insensitive to the plight of his parents who are in jail.
He stated, "If I were to be Ekweremmadu’s son I would not have staged this elaborate wedding ceremony with my father and mother in prison. I would have done a low-key marriage ceremony and waited till my parents are free. This generation scares me stiff."
Igbokwe further stated while reacting to a comment by one Yariman Buhari Maijamaa that the wedding should not have been done at all.
He insisted, "The wedding could not have been planned at all. It does not make sense to me. May my Children not do this to me. One million well-to-do big men I noticed in this photo can never, never, never take the place of a father who is in custody for trying to save the life of a daughter. This generation? May God help us."
Commenting on the post, a former aviation minister and former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Chief Osita Chidoka said the marriage was approved by his parents, adding that it had been planned before the Ekweremadus were arrested.
Chidoka said, "Brother Joe Igbokwe, you got this very wrong, very wrong. This wedding was planned and we were getting ready to go to Ihiala for a traditional and Abuja for the white wedding when Ike and his wife were arrested.
"The wedding is at the behest of Ike Junior's parents. His life has been on hold since the day his parents were arrested."
The former Minister in defence of Lloyd, who was recently appointed by Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State as Commissioner for Youths and Sports, explained that Lloyd has had to take over the job of father and mother since his parents were sentenced.
He added, "His parents want him to move on. They want grandchildren...they want laughter again in their home. They want their Children to hold their heads up and walk with pride, because their parents are in a situation most parents would have found themselves in.
"The attendance at the wedding is a show of solidarity by his father's friends. He worked with two Senate Presidents and they were there, his colleagues came and his close associates were there. We came in solidarity. The wedding was nowhere near what it would have been if his parents were around.
"The Ekweremadu clan must continue to grow no matter the setbacks. I want a son like Ike Junior. He rose like a lion to an occasion that would have destroyed many homes. My respect to the illustrious family of the bride, a respected Anambra family who stood firm and helped the young couple to navigate a tough situation.
"I have spent time with Sen Ike since his incarceration and this wedding is his wish and he approved of it, and so did the wife."