Lingering hope for wedding bells

Dbanj and Genevieve Nnaji

Rumoured love affair between D’Banj and Genevieve Nnaji lingers into the new year, JAYNE AUGOYE writes

 Although singer Dapo Oyebanjo, aka D’banj, once hinted that he was interested in Nollywood star, Genevieve Nnaji, a recent rumour that they are actually involved in a relationship compels critics to ask if he truly loves the actress as professed.

Everybody seems to wonder if they are engaged or simply leading their unsuspecting fans along, in what could readily pass for a publicity stunt.

Many people want to know what the artistes, whose romance was said to have hit the rocks in 2011, are really up to this time. According to reliable sources, the lovebirds now live together in D’banj’s mansion in the upscale Lekki area of Lagos.

The ‘power’ couple, as they are called by fans, began making news headlines after Genevieve appeared in D’banj’s 2010 hit music video, Fall in Love.

Tongues have been wagging ever since they were seen stepping out together at public functions. They were recently spotted at the star-studded birthday party of pop singer, Sean Tizzle, on December 15, 2013.

A day earlier, Genevieve was seen in the arms of the Kokomaster at the Gulder Club Ultimate party, which held on December 14 at the Oceanview Restaurant in Victoria Island, Lagos. The couple were dressed in matching white tops and black pants.

This is apart from the fact that D’banj played a prominent role at his lover’s 32nd birthday party in London in 2011, the same year their affair packed up.

While 34-year-old Genevieve has always been silent about her love life, an obviously smitten D’banj often grabs every opportunity available to tell the world how much he loves the actress.

In 2010, Genevieve tried hard to ignore enquiries about her romance with the singer. She was actually quoted as saying, “I can only say that I would like to keep my private life private and I really don’t have anything to say.”

But the actress’s romantic involvement with actor Kunle Coker and one time PMAN President, Preddy Okowa, did not go unnoticed by members of the public. Both affairs flourished at the outset of her career.

Notwithstanding Genevieve’s evasiveness, in 2011, after months of denial from both lovers, it was eventually discovered that they had been in a secret relationship since 2009, long before the affair became public.

But, just before her fans could roll out the drums to celebrate, Genny, as she is fondly called, called off the relationship in March, leaving the Kokomaster heart-broken.

The break-up was attributed to Dbanj’s refusal to get committed to the relationship, as well as the presence of many women in the singer’s life.

Surprisingly, in the face of the numerous break-ups that characterise celebrity marriages and affairs, fans of the two artistes have obviously decided to throw their weights behind the two lovebirds. On social media network, their support knows no limit.

Aware that the grapevine had at one time bristled with the rumour that he was romantically involved with Genevieve, D’banj confirmed, in a recent interview with E-Punch, that the actress played a role in his success,.

He said, “Apart from the fact that she is my friend, she has been a part of my success. There is no way you are going to tell my story that Genevieve’s name will not come up because she featured in my biggest song of all time, Fall in Love.”

Also, as if to confirm that there was more to his relationship with the actress than he had always admitted, D’banj added, “I would love to have Genevieve as my wife.  We never can tell what God plans for us in the future. I have studied her and I realised that anyone that has her as his woman has found himself a treasure. Just like the Bible says, any man who finds a wife finds a good thing.”

If the recent stories emanating from the gossip mill are anything to go by, then the fans and admirers of the celebrities will have to brace themselves for a symbolic wedding on this side of the globe in the nearest future.