...I informed organisers months earlier that I won't make it -- Davido...Provide evidence you notified us -- Organisers
The lingering feud between the organisers of 'Warri Again Concert' and pop star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, following the failure of the latter to perform at the show, last Friday, took a new twist, yesterday, with the former declaring that they would explore all legal means to get the singer to refund the $94,600 allegedly paid to him.
They also debunked claims by Davido that he notified the show organisers in advance that he would not be able to attend the show.
A source close to the organisers, who spoke to Vanguard, said: "We only learnt of his travelling to Australia two days to the time."
The source also challenged the singer to provide evidence that he actually notified the organisers.
Recall that Davido has been accused of refusing to honour the show, held last Friday, despite being allegedly paid $94,600.
Reacting to the allegation via Instagram, Davido vowed not to refund the $94,600 (about N72 million), allegedly paid to him, despite not showing up for the event.
"If I'm returning any money, I'll return it to any football charity organisation.
"In fact, I will double it..... Mr Dream Crusher... Imagine how many Nigerian footballers have had their dreams crushed because one person lives in Ikoyi by force," the singer wrote on IG.
In another post on X(formerly Twitter) , Davido said nobody could stop him from performing anywhere in Nigeria, assuring his fans in Warri that he would be in their city soon.
"Nobody can stop me from performing anywhere in Nigeria. Warri I will see you soon," he wrote.
Also, in a post on his Instagram story Sunday, the singer claimed that he had notified the event organizers in advance that he would not be able to attend. Yet, they persisted in promoting the show using his name.
"To my lovely fans in Warri that spent their hard-earned money to come out my apologies that you had to experience this. I was not going to be physically able to make it and this had been communicated to 'them' for a long while now, I mean months ago but for reasons best known to them, they continued to promote the show using my name. It is a shame," Davido wrote.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued yesterday, and signed by the Project Director, Brownhill Events Inc, organizers of the Warri Again concert, Mr. Victor Wokocha, the organizers said they have briefed their legal team and waiting for their advice on the next steps to follow.
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Wokocha, in the statement described Davido's failure to perform at the concert despite receiving full payment and logistics made available to guarantee his attendance as "quite unfortunate."
The statement reads in part: "The management team of Warri Again Concerts would like to thank our sponsors, guests and artists for their support and active participation at the just concluded 19th edition of the Warri Again Concert which was held at the prestigious Brownhill Coliseum, Warri, Delta State.
"We are also grateful to our viewers who joined us online through the live telecasts on HipTv and AIT with hopes of being serenaded by the various musical artistes lined up for the event, including the headline Artiste, David Adeleke (Davido).
"Davido's failure to perform at the concert despite having received full payment and logistics made available to guarantee his attendance is quite unfortunate. Our legal team has been fully briefed and will advise on the next steps.
"Notwithstanding the unfortunate incident, the concert was a huge success and proved to be the best edition yet.
"We are fully committed to consolidating on the gains recorded in this last edition and are poised to ensure that several improvements are implemented in the 20th edition."
However, when contacted, Davido only said "bad new dey sweet una, its fine."
