A matrimonial dispute between the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, Mr P. C. Appiah-Ofori, and his wife, Rebecca, has spilled into the pen following last week's public appearance of a third person in the marriage. The public twist to the MP's marital affair was triggered by a publication in last Monday's issue of the Daily Graphic, which was illustrated with a picture and a caption of Mr Appiah-Ofori and a woman, described as Mrs Appiah-Ofori. This attracted a strong reaction, supported by documents, and threat of legal action from Mrs Rebecca Appiah-Ofori, to prove that she (Rebecca) was the legitimate wife and not the woman who stood by the MP when he received an award from some Ghanaians resident abroad. "My name is Rebecca Appiah-Ofori (Nee Brown), the wife of Hon. P.C. Appiah-Ofori, I have been married to P.C. Appiah-Ofori for 37 years. "The woman beside Hon P.C. Appiah-Ofori in the picture you published in your paper is not the wife of Hon. Appiah-Ofori because I did not attend the programme," she held. The Daily Graphic, however, learnt that the other woman is indeed a mistress who now lives with the MP in one part of the family house, a storey building at Dome in Accra, while the other part is occupied by Rebecca. Rebecca said her 37-year-old marriage to Mr Appiah-Ofori had been a happy one blessed with three adult children, a medical doctor, a pharmacist and a lawyer. However, she said, things turned sour about 10 years ago "when he returned from Nigeria with the woman in the picture and stealthily went to perform the knocking rites" for her. She said from then on the MP began behaving strangely and "started accusing me of infidelity and other untruths". "It was as if he was under a spell." She said following the strange behaviour of her husband, she brought in the Methodist Church family pastor, but to no avail. According to Mrs Appiah-Ofori, when her husband became an MP in 2001, he drove her out of their bedroom into another room in the house. "Soon after, he brought this woman into our home and for over four years, this woman sleeps at my place in my house and in the full glare of everyone. "I am still married to him by the Marriage Ordinance Cap. 127. Since I realised four years ago that he did not love me, I have continuously urged him to divorce me, but he has refused. I still love him, even though he despises me," she added. When contacted, Mr Appiah-Ofori acknowledged his marriage to Rebecca, first customarily in 1970 'and under the ordinance 14 years later. ' He said he had not met the woman before their marriage in 1970 when he asked his parents to choose for him a wife from his home town. Mr Appiah-Ofori noted that a year after, in 1971, he began receiving information from home about the lady's infidelity and later had evidence to that effect and when he cited that to annul the marriage, she pacified him with a ram. He described the marriage as over, noting that "for almost 11 years we have been living in my house at Dome without any husband-and-wife relationship". Source: Daily Graphic