Peter Okoye, one-half of the renowned Nigerian music duo P-Square, has reacted to recent interviews given by his brother Paul, in which Paul claimed to have written and performed 99% of their songs.
Peter conveyed his disappointment and hurt over Paul’s continuous undermining of his contributions to the group.
Peter wrote, “Dear Paul, as I’ve mentioned to you before, I’m not competing with you or anyone else. However, it deeply hurts to see you give numerous interviews where you repeatedly undermine my contributions to the group we both created and built together.”
“In your recent interviews, you claimed that you wrote and performed 99% of all P-Square songs and belittled my contribution by labeling our track with TI, ‘EjeaJo,’ which I wrote, as a failure. You even used YouTube views to undermine my efforts once again.
“You haven’t acknowledged other significant songs like ‘Get-Squared,’ ‘Bizzy Body,’ ‘Personally,’ ‘Roll It,’ ‘Temptation,’ ‘Alingo,’ ‘More than a Friend,’ ‘Shekini,’ ‘Say Your Love,’ ‘Gimme Dat,’ ‘Senorita,’ ‘IGBEdu,’ and several others. Do you consider these songs failures as well?”
Peter accused Paul of frequently using “I” and “me” in interviews, giving the impression that he was the only talent behind P-Square.
He said, “Whenever I talk about P-Square in interviews, I always use ‘we’ and ‘us’ because I view us as a team. However, when you speak, it’s always ‘I’ and ‘me,’ even when I’m right there with you. It feels like I don’t exist.”
“My brother, neither of us is the most talented artist in the world, but you seem to overlook that our talent is a gift from God, who also gave us another chance to shine after our previous breakup. Instead, you’ve chosen to turn Africa’s most awarded and celebrated music group into a laughingstock once again.”
Peter emphasised that P-Square’s appeal came from their collective effort and unique partnership, not just one person’s talent.
He said, “One thing you need to understand is that the fans didn’t fall in love with P-Square because of who sang or danced the most. What made us special was the magic of our combined effort—both of us together! P-Square was a force because of our uniqueness and unity.
“We both have talent, and I’ve often praised you in interviews for your songwriting skills. I’ve also acknowledged anyone who has contributed songs for us or for me as Mr. P. But instead of appreciating my kind words, it seems you take pleasure in undermining me, forgetting that our success is by God’s grace.”
“Instead of collaborating with me to regain our top position in the music industry, you chose to align with Jude to assert dominance within the P-Square group, consistently seeking ways to marginalize and humiliate me.
“You often claim to be the songwriter, composer, producer, singer, backup vocalist, and even the video director, band, promoter, manager, and choreographer for P-Square. It seems like you see yourself as the Author and Finisher of P-Square. In fact, I’ll give you 100% of everything you claim to be responsible for, rather than the 99% you assert.”
“I regret not addressing your April 2015 tweet, where you claimed to have written and performed all of P-Square’s songs. I stayed silent to maintain peace, as advised by family and friends, but now I’m suffering the consequences.
“So, my brother, let me ask you: Are Rudeboy or Mr. P more successful than P-Square today? Are we individually selling out arenas and stadiums like P-Square used to? Are we topping global music charts as solo artists? Do we captivate audiences and command crowds the way P-Square did?
“I often wonder what you truly gain from constantly disrespecting and belittling me. You have disrespected my wife, my family, my talent, and my ideas, and even aligned with Jude when he was clearly trying to undermine me. Now it seems you’re going further by attempting to turn fans against me, making them believe I’m jealous of you.
“You’re doing everything you can to make fans hate me, but the reality is they will end up hating us both because we’ve let them down.
“I hope you’re satisfied now. I genuinely wish you the best, bro. As for those who believe these false narratives and leave negative comments on my page, I understand, as you’ve fed them the wrong story for a long time.
“Please allow me to focus on my music and work in peace.”
“As for the EFCC issue, I will address it by the end of today. Stay tuned! Peace.”
The brothers have been estranged since their last breakup, with both now pursuing solo careers as Rudeboy and Mr. P.
Peter expressed his best wishes for Paul but hoped they could once again achieve their status as Africa’s top music group by working together.
