Nigerian lawmaker and businessman, Prince Ned Nwoko, has publicly refuted claims that he married Nollywood actress Regina Daniels when she was a minor, describing the allegations as “entirely untrue and misleading.”
Nwoko made the clarification in a statement posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, following renewed public discussion over the circumstances surrounding his marriage to the actress.
According to the post, Nwoko stated that during his first meeting with Regina, he inquired about her age and she told him she was 21 years old at the time. He further explained that she presented her INEC voter’s card, which indicated that she was born on October 10, 1998.
“I informed her that I would keep this document in my possession, and I have done so since that day,” he wrote.
Nwoko also referred to a BBC interview granted by Regina’s mother shortly after their marriage, which he said corroborated the actress’s age.
Emphasizing the timeline of their union, Nwoko stated that their marriage took place six years ago, meaning that Regina Daniels is 27 years old today, making any suggestion that she was 17 at the time of marriage false.
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“The facts are verifiable and indisputable,” he said. “Any suggestion that I married her at 17 is false and should not be accepted by the public.”
The lawmaker urged the public to treat the circulating claims with “caution and discernment,” while also alluding to the actress’s ongoing mental health and rehabilitation challenges related to substance use, which he said may have influenced the recent allegations.
The renewed controversy comes amid social media discussions surrounding age, consent, and celebrity marriages in Nigeria. Neither Regina Daniels nor her representatives had responded to the post as of the time of this report.