Nigeria lawyer cum politician Ned Nwoko has publicly refuted claims made by his wife, actress Regina Daniels, alleging that he married her when she was 17 years old.

In a post on Facebook on Thursday, Nwoko provided clarity on the age at which he married Regina Daniels, and he described the circulating reports that state he married Regina at the age of 17 as “entirely untrue and misleading,” urging the public to disregard them.

Nwoko explained that during his first meeting with Regina, he inquired about her age, and she told him she was 21. “I further asked if she had any documents to support this, and she presented her INEC voter’s card, which clearly shows that she was born on October 10th, 1998. I informed her that I would keep this document in my possession, and I have done so since that day,” he added.

Nwoko also revealed that it was Regina’s mother, veteran actress Rita Daniels, who introduced her daughter to him for marriage. He stressed that he never chased Regina or pushed her into the union. “There were witnesses present when her mother personally brought her to me. I never went after her,” he said.

According to the senator, their marriage took place six years ago, which makes Regina 27 years old today. “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 stated.

The controversy reignited after Regina Daniels posted a lengthy statement on social media, accusing her estranged husband of domestic violence and emotional abuse, saying she had endured years of pain and was finally walking away from the marriage.