Ex-Beauty Queen, Helen Prest Ajayi, Rejects Court Verdict in Tosin Ajayi Estate Dispute

Former Miss Nigeria, Helen Prest Ajayi, and her daughter, Tomisin Ajayi, are challenging a Lagos State High Court ruling that they claim contains legal errors and oversteps the court's authority. They have filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal in Lagos, seeking to overturn a June 17 judgment concerning the estate of the late medical entrepreneur, Dr. Tosin Ajayi.

The appellants' counsel, Abiodun Owonikoko, SAN, argues that the trial court made several critical mistakes. These include relying on a marriage certificate whose validity was contested, misrepresenting Tomisin Ajayi's status, and issuing orders beyond the scope of the case. A key point of contention is the trial court's finding that Mrs. Adenike Ajayi is the sole surviving wife, solely entitled to administer the estate. The appellants assert this conclusion was based on a disputed marriage certificate, with no official record found at the Ijebu-Ode Marriage Registry.

Furthermore, the appellants contend that the trial court disregarded a prior consent judgment from January 2021. This earlier judgment, they argue, recognized Helen Prest Ajayi and Adenike Ajayi as co-wives. They maintain that this consent judgment, duly presented as evidence, should have created an issue estoppel, preventing the trial court from making contrary findings, such as labeling Helen Prest Ajayi as merely a mistress.

The appellants also dispute the trial court's conclusion that Tomisin Ajayi was born out of wedlock. They point to a UK-issued birth certificate that lists Dr. Tosin Ajayi and Helen Prest Ajayi as Tomisin's parents, arguing that the court failed to properly evaluate this evidence. The appeal seeks to set aside the judgment and have these issues reconsidered.