Senator Ned Nwoko has dismissed renewed claims that he married popular Nollywood actress Regina Daniels when she was underage, describing the allegations as “entirely untrue and misleading.”
The Delta North lawmaker made the clarification in a statement posted on his official X handle, where he also shared a photo of Daniels’ Voter’s Identity Card showing her date of birth as October 10, 1998.
According to Nwoko, the actress was 21 when they married.
Nwoko wrote: “It has come to my attention that false claims are being circulated by Regina, suggesting that I married her when she was 17 years old. These claims are entirely untrue and misleading.”
He said he verified Daniels’ age before marriage. “During my first meeting with Regina, I asked her age, and she told me she was 21. I further asked if she had any document to support this, and she presented her voter’s card, which clearly shows her birth date as October 10, 1998,” he stated.
The senator also referenced a bbc.com/pidgin">BBC interview granted by Regina’s mother after the marriage, where she reportedly dismissed rumours of underage involvement.
“According to all verifiable records, our marriage took place six years ago, which means Regina is 27 years old today,” Nwoko added. “Any suggestion that I married her at 17 is false and should not be accepted by the public.”
He further accused Daniels of being in an unstable mental state due to alleged substance abuse, claiming she had “started and abandoned rehabilitation from illegal drug addiction.”
A Love Story Turned Public Feud
The marriage between Nwoko, then 59, and Regina, then 21, made headlines in 2019, igniting widespread debate across Nigeria about age gaps, wealth, and influence in relationships.
At the time, the couple defended their union, describing it as one founded on mutual respect and understanding. But six years later, what began as a fairy-tale romance has unravelled into a bitter and public feud.
In a series of social media posts earlier this month, Regina accused Nwoko of “domestic violence, confinement, and sexual assault.” She also alleged that he manipulated doctors to sedate her against her will and encouraged her drug use for “sexual gratification.”
“Fine, I did drugs. So what? Is that even the issue between us?” she wrote. “The moment we had a fight, you rushed to the public shouting ‘drugs, drugs, drugs,’ because you knew it would make a perfect story for the media.”
She claimed the marriage was never legally recognised: “We were never married in any court of law… Marriage is not by force. Love is not by force.”
Accusations, Denials, and a Divided Public
Nwoko, however, denied all allegations of abuse and accused Regina’s family and friends, including her brother Sammy and actress Uche Montana, of frustrating her rehabilitation and introducing her to drug use.
He alleged that Regina’s brother “would come into the house uninvited, sometimes forcing his way in, and would bring her the same drugs she was being treated for.”
In a statement on November 10, Uche Montana publicly denied the claims, writing: “I have no involvement or connection to the situation described. This note is simply to set the record straight and protect my peace.”
In the end, it’s still a messy love story caught in the public eye. Everyone’s got an opinion, but only they know the full truth. For now, Nigeria just watches — part curious, part heartbroken — as love and pride play out in real time.
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