FACT CHECK: Did Ned Nwoko ask for Emmanuella’s hand in marriage?

By Genevieve Aningo

Over the weekend, unverified claims swirled on social media that Ned Nwoko, the billionaire businessman and politician, requested to marry Emmanuella, the comedienne.

The claims can be found here, here and here.

The rumour has continued to elicit intense reactions, with Nigerians expressing mixed views over the development.

But is it true?

Checks by CRISPNG show the viral claim is false. Both the politician and the entertainer have debunked the rumour via their individual social media pages while responding to their curious fans.

Nwoko had described the rumour as ‘fake news’ and declared that ‘I have beautiful wives’ .

On her part, Emmanuella also asked the public to disregard such claim.

Below are screenshots of their respective conversations with their fans on the matter:

Nwoko came into the limelight when he married Regina Daniels, the actress, in 2019. The marriage left tongues wagging at the time due to their age differences.

The politician was 57 while the film star was 19 years old when they tied the knot.

Despite the criticisms that trailed their union, they welcomed their first child together in June 2020.

The pair also announced the arrival of their second child a few weeks ago.

Nwoko is known to be a big fan of polygamy.

The politician had earlier opened up about his desire to have more children and his belief in polygamy.

“They came to look around and I liked her and that was it. So whether I marry another wife or not; she knows it can happen. I come from a very polygamous environment. I love children so I want more children. She knows this,” he had said.

“My other wives know it. So we will see what happens. There are women everywhere.”