A friend of Miss Oriaku Gift Ezinne, identified as Itam Susan John, has spoken publicly about the circumstances surrounding the cancellation of Gift’s planned wedding to Mr. Ogbonnaya Samuel Isaac, insisting that Gift did not cancel the wedding.
The wedding, which was scheduled for September 19, 2026, had attracted widespread attention on social media following reports that the ceremony had been called off.
Gift Ezinne is from Owerrinta in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State, while Samuel Isaac hails from Okoko Item in Bende Local Government Area of the state.
In a video circulating on social media, Susan, who described herself as a close friend of Gift, recounted the history of the relationship and events that allegedly led to the latest crisis.
According to Susan, she was the person who introduced Samuel to Gift after Samuel expressed interest in her friend while they were studying at the Abia State College of Health, Aba.
She said that after graduation, she and Gift began working in Egwueke, Bende Local Government Area, and that Samuel later approached her, expressing his feelings for Gift and asking her to help him establish a relationship with her.
Susan said she spoke to Gift about Samuel’s interest, after which the two became friends and their relationship eventually progressed toward marriage.
According to Susan, plans for the couple’s traditional marriage began in 2025. However, she alleged that Gift’s father died four days before the scheduled ceremony.
Despite the bereavement, Susan claimed that Samuel’s family insisted that the traditional marriage rites should proceed, a request she said Gift’s family eventually accepted.
She further alleged that on the day of the traditional ceremony, two goats intended for the marriage rites died unexpectedly. Despite the incident, she said the families proceeded with the ceremony.
Susan also claimed that Gift contributed significantly to the arrangements for the ceremony, including taking care of food expenses.
Speaking about the couple’s relationship after the traditional marriage, Susan alleged that Samuel made some major decisions without adequately involving Gift.
She cited Samuel’s reported admission into a Methodist theological institution, claiming that Gift only became aware after Samuel informed her that he had secured admission.
Susan further stated that the couple’s white wedding was initially fixed for April 6, 2026.
However, she alleged that Samuel’s father died on March 30, 2026, barely a week before the planned wedding.
She noted that Gift’s father had also died shortly before the couple’s introduction, meaning both families had experienced bereavements close to major stages of the marriage process.
According to Susan, Samuel’s family subsequently postponed the April wedding. She claimed that Gift was not directly informed but instead woke up to discover the postponement on social media.
Susan said Gift nevertheless continued to support Samuel and his family despite the development.
Susan explained that in July 2026, Samuel returned to Gift’s family and allegedly pleaded for forgiveness, expressing his desire to continue with the marriage.
Following discussions and appeals, she said the families agreed to reconcile and rescheduled the wedding for September 19, 2026.
However, according to Susan, another disagreement subsequently emerged over the proposed date.
She said Gift’s uncle, who resides in the United States and was expected to play a role in giving Gift out in marriage, had returned to the US to see his family.
Susan claimed the uncle asked her to speak with Samuel about moving the wedding to the Christmas period so that he could return and give Gift a proper family send-off.
According to her, Samuel rejected the request, allegedly arguing that the wedding had already been postponed several times.
Susan said the disagreement eventually escalated, with Samuel allegedly accusing Gift’s family of manipulating him.
She claimed that Samuel subsequently decided to call off the wedding and requested that expenses he had incurred be refunded.
According to Susan, Samuel also collected a phone he had bought for Gift and requested that she refund ₦50,000 he had recently sent to her.
Samuel has, however, challenged Susan’s account of the events.
While responding in the comment section of the video posted by Susan on her Facebook page, Samuel questioned the credibility of her report and denied that she was responsible for bringing him and Gift together.
He wrote:
“Who can believe your own report my dear. Lier. Lier from the pit of hell. You connected who. Mumu.”
Gift also responded to the controversy in the comment section using her Facebook account, Gift Zinny.
She maintained that she was innocent and denied cancelling the wedding.
“Am innocent my people. I never canceled any wedding.”
The conflicting accounts have added another dimension to the controversy surrounding the planned September 19 wedding.
While Susan’s account attributes the collapse of the wedding to disagreements that allegedly culminated in Samuel calling off the ceremony, Samuel has publicly challenged the credibility of her narrative, while Gift has expressly denied cancelling the wedding.
As of the time of filing this report, Samuel had not provided a detailed public explanation beyond his comment challenging Susan’s account.
The allegations and counterclaims remain contested, and further statements from the families or the parties directly involved could provide additional clarity on what led to the cancellation of the planned wedding.
