Rita Daniels, mother of Nollywood actress Regina Daniels, has revealed that she never supported her daughter’s marriage to billionaire politician, Ned Nwoko.
Speaking in an interview with BBC News Igbo published on October 3, Rita said contrary to public belief, she was not involved in arranging the marriage and only learned about their relationship after it had already begun.
“When Regina got married, the world said I forced her to marry a much older man — that 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.”
Rita recounted confronting her daughter when she heard rumours of the relationship. “I called her and asked what was going on, and she said, ‘Have I ever introduced you to anyone as the person I want to get married to aside from Ned Nwoko?’”
She added that Regina’s insistence left her surprised. “My daughter, who never used to talk back at me, started throwing words. I realised she had made up her mind. In fact, her husband and I were political opponents at the time,” she said.
According to Rita, Ned Nwoko did not approach her formally about marriage until after his political campaign. Faced with Regina’s determination, she said she eventually chose to support her daughter despite public criticism.
“Immediately after the election, her husband told me he was interested in marrying my child. I was weak, but what was I to do? I stood with my daughter. Was I to chase her away?”
She said she decided to accept the situation and focus on her daughter’s happiness. “People talked all sorts of trash about Regina, but what mattered to me was that she was happy where she was. I have not had the strength to address anyone about it.”
Rita concluded that she was willing to bear the blame to protect her daughter from public backlash.
“Do I leave them to heap blame on my daughter?” she asked. “It’s better they blame me, tear me apart, and call me names. What matters is that my family is at peace.”