Senator Ned Nwoko has addressed claims circulating that he married actress Regina Daniels when she was 17.
Senator Nwoko shared a picture of Daniels’ INEC voter’s card on Facebook on Thursday, which lists her date of birth as October 10, 1998.
He stated that reports suggesting he married Daniels when she was 17 are false.
“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 wrote.
He said that during their first meeting, Daniels told him she was 21 and provided her voter’s card as proof.
“I further asked if she had any document to support this, and she presented her INEC voter’s card, which clearly shows that she was born on October 10th, 1998.”
He added that he has kept the document since that day and also referenced a BBC interview in which Daniels’ mother discussed her age.
“I informed her that I would keep this document in my possession, and I have done so since that day,” he said.
According to him, their marriage took place six years ago, which would make Regina Daniels 27 years old a month ago.
“Any suggestion that I married her at 17 is false and should not be accepted by the public. The facts are verifiable and indisputable.”
He also asked the public to approach Daniels’ claims with caution, noting that she had started and abandoned rehabilitation for drug use.
The dispute follows Daniels’ statement on Instagram, in which she said she was 17 when she married Ned Nwoko and alleged that he forced her to take drugs.
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore called for an investigation into Nwoko over Daniels’ allegations.
He said that any sexual activity following the marriage would constitute statutory rape under UK law, where Nwoko is a registered legal practitioner.
Sowore also stated that Daniels’ claims of being introduced to hard drugs and being forced upon are criminal offenses that require legal action.
He urged relevant UK regulatory authorities to determine Nwoko’s fitness to practice law.
