Ned Nwoko Denies Regina Daniels Was 17 at Marriage, Cites INEC Record Showing She Was 21

Nigerian senator and businessman Ned Nwoko has publicly dismissed claims made by his ex wife, actress Regina Daniels, that she was 17 years old when they got married, asserting instead that she was 21 at the time of their first meeting in 2019.

Nwoko backed his statement with evidence, citing Regina’s 2018 INEC voter’s card, which reportedly lists her date of birth as October 10, 1998, placing her at 27 years old today.

The controversy reignited after Regina Daniels, in a resurfaced clip from a past interview, hinted that she was still a teenager when Nwoko approached her — a claim that immediately set social media ablaze with debates over morality, legality, and cultural double standards. Ned Nwoko, however, wasted no time in countering the narrative, emphasizing that their union was legitimate, consensual, and within the bounds of Nigerian law.

The senator’s clarification adds another layer to one of Nigeria’s most talked-about celebrity marriages, which drew heavy public attention in 2019 due to the 41-year age gap between the couple. The discussion has been further complicated by previous statements from Regina’s mother, Rita Daniels, who in a BBC Pidgin interview in 2020 claimed her daughter was 18 when she married Nwoko — slightly older than Regina’s current claim, but still younger than Nwoko’s assertion.

Online reactions to the latest development have been mixed. Some commenters expressed amusement at what they described as the “age war,” while others urged Nwoko to take legal steps if he believes his wife’s statement damages his reputation. Others, however, see the entire episode as another reflection of Nigeria’s deep-rooted cultural acceptance of polygamy and large age gaps in marriage — particularly among the elite.

Meanwhile, several media outlets, including Premium Times, have reviewed public records confirming that the marriage took place when Regina Daniels was, by all legal standards, an adult. Still, the couple’s ongoing public disagreements — from domestic allegations to conflicting timelines — continue to feed social media’s fascination with their relationship, keeping their union firmly in the public eye.

What began as a love story between a teenage movie star and a billionaire politician has now evolved into a saga of timelines, documents, and televised denials — proving that in the court of public opinion, age, fame, and love are never just numbers.