Nollywood actor and comedian Okey Bakassi has dismissed reports claiming his marriage to his wife is in crisis.
The comedian, via his verified social media, said the claim that his wife falsely relocated to the United States to study nursing while he remained in Nigeria, sent money to support her for 15 years, and then allegedly requested a divorce is false.
Speaking, the comedian cum traditional ruler explained that the controversy began after a video he made about Nigerian politics was taken out of context and linked to a misleading story about his marriage.
He said the report prompted calls from friends, relatives and fans across the world seeking confirmation
“I’m here this evening because of something that is far more disturbing and disrespectful. While I was on set today, filming a new movie with my colleagues, someone was busy on social media trying to disrespect me and my family,” he said.
“One idiot, one charlatan, went on social media and created an article with my name and my picture, alleging that my wife and I have gone our separate ways. Since then, friends, family and fans have been calling me from all over the world, as well as calling my wife with this troubling news.
“Please, let me say this to our friends, family and fans: my wife and I are still together. God forbid anything should ever happen to us. If you know me very well, you know that the most important things to me are my wife, my family and the children God has blessed us with.
“My wife and I, to the glory of God, just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary in Canada. For those of you who are close to me, you know that my wife does not live in the United States and that she isn’t a nurse, contrary to what the author of that article claimed.”
The comedian said the false reports made him realise those who genuinely cared about him, noting that some people shared the news without contacting him or his family to verify its authenticity.
He urged his fans and friends to report the source of the false report on X for violating the rules.
“Opportunities like this allow us to know those who truly care about us because some of you saw that fake news and went ahead to spread it instead of reaching out to me or a member of my family to confirm whether it was true. I see you all. I see you all,” he added.
“So, please, if you saw that article, one thing you can do for me, if you are a family friend or a fan, is to go back to the source of that fake news. Go to their page on Twitter and report it for violating the rules. Report the page for the disrespect and pain it is trying to cause my family. At least, that is the least you can do.
Reassuring his supporters, the actor declared that he and his wife remained together. He also clarified that his wife lives in Canada, not the United States, and is not a nurse, contrary to the report’s claims.
“I appreciate all of you. We will never be free of enemies like these, people who don’t want to celebrate us but are out to create fake news to disrupt the lives of people they have not helped.
“Thank you very much for all your support and understanding. I promise you that my wife and I are okay.”