Rita Daniels, the mother of actress Regina Daniels, recently spoke about the long-standing public narrative that she arranged her daughter’s marriage to politician Ned Nwoko.
The clarification comes amid renewed public scrutiny of the marriage after a viral video showed Regina accusing Nwoko of domestic violence.
In his response, Nwoko, senator representing Delta north, accused the Nollywood star of drug and alcohol abuse.
Speaking with BBC News Igbo, Rita addressed the years of accusations that she “sold” her daughter to the much older lawmaker.
In the interview dated October 3, she denied the claims, arguing that she was the last person to know about their relationship.
Rita said that when she discovered the relationship, she attempted to reason with her daughter, but Regina was resolute.
“When Regina got married, and the world was saying I was the one who forced her to marry a much older man. They said I carried her and sold her to an elderly man,” she said.
“What they did not know is that even I did not know when they started the relationship. With everything that was going on, I was the last person to know they were in a relationship.
“And as my daughter, I called her and asked what was going on, and what she answered me ‘Have I ever introduced you to anyone as the person I want to get married to aside from Ned Nwoko?’”
“My daughter, who never used to throw back words at me started throwing back words. I noticed she was beginning to get stubborn about it, and then I was like ‘What is actually going on?’ In the political terrain, the husband and I are opponents.”
Rita explained that Nwoko did not formally approach her about marriage until after his political campaign.
She said, faced with her daughter’s determination, she felt she had little choice but to support her. She said she had to prioritise her daughter’s happiness over public opinion.
“Immediately after the election, it was then that her husband told me he was interested in marrying my child. I was weak, but what was I to do? stood with my daughter, was I to chase her away?” she asked.
“So when I saw everything, I advised as much as I could as a mother. That they are talking all sorts of trash about Regina, the most important thing is that she is happy where she is, and I have not had the energy to address anyone regarding anything.”
Rita stated that she was willing to bear the brunt of public criticism to shield her daughter.
“Do I leave them to heap blame on my daughter?” she asked. “So it is better for me that they heap the blame on me, tear me apart, and call me all sorts of names, I will rather take it. What matters to me is that my family is at peace.”
