JOSEPH E. EKANEM, JCA (DELIVERING THE LEADING JUDGMENT): The appellant and the respondent got married on the 1st day of January, 1996, under the Marriage Act 1983. The union has been blessed with two children - a male and a female. In the course of time, the relationship between the couple turned sour, resulting in the respondent filing a petition for dissolution of the marriage. The petition was filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja Division ("the Lower Court" for short). The appellant reacted by filing a cross-petition. The respondent withdrew her petition, leaving the appellant's cross petition as the only petition for consideration by the Lower Court.
After trial and addresses, the lower court dismissed the cross petition for being devoid of merit.
Aggrieved by the decision, the appellant has appealed to this court by way of a notice of appeal containing five grounds of appeal. Out of the five grounds of appeal the appellant in his brief of argument which…