"We have family members. We have Igwes; we have older adults. But the question is, how come none of them ever make or don't make any imputes? They have. Igwe of our village have. Governors, Ministers, our aunties, uncles, all of them have. Peter doesn't listen to anybody."
Jude Okoye, the former manager and director of the now-defunct P-Square, has shed more light on the group's crisis, family disputes, and the allegations against him.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Paul, known as Rudeboy, confirmed that the once-dominant music group disbanded in an interview with City FM and alleged that his brother, Peter (Mr P), filed a petition with the EFCC accusing him and Jude of financial misconduct, including embezzlement of P-Square's funds.
Less than a week after Rudeboy's interview, Mr P, in an open letter, detailed the events that led to their breakup and accused Paul and Jude of conspiring to damage his reputation.
Peter further alleged that Jude established a secret company with his wife, through which he siphoned off P-Square's funds.
However, on Saturday, Jude denied Peter's allegations in an Instagram Live and blamed Peter for the failed P-Square reunion.
He said: "P-Square started having issues from the end of 2013 to early 2014. I tried as much as possible to settle it because it had been ongoing for a while, but during 2013-2014, the issues became public. Once something goes public, it becomes difficult to control, as you can't take it back. So, from 2014, P-Square had issues in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and then they took a break for almost five years, returning at the end of 2021. Now, they are having issues again.
"I have not had anything to do with P-Square for the past eight years, but it's all good; my name is Jude Okoye, and due to what has been going on for the past weeks, I have sat out, but I have to come and make this live video because it wasn't about me anymore but my family was involved, and I have to come and tell you guys what it's all about. I'm here because I was, in one way or another, involved in the P-Square saga once again, even though I haven't had anything to do with P-Square for the past eight years."
Additionally, Jude expressed concern about his name being the constant focus whenever P-Square's dispute was mentioned publicly.
He disclosed that he had no involvement with the disbanded group but continued to be drawn into the turmoil that engulfed them.
He claimed he stepped down as P-Square's manager and director in 2016, stating that he has dedicated himself to his real estate venture since then.
Exclusion from P-Square
Jude alleged that Paul and Peter conspired to oust him from P-Square following their reconciliation in 2021.
He expressed surprise at his exclusion from P-Square, claiming that the 2021 reunion was intended to identify the group's problems and develop solutions.
"Paul called me one day, and I went to his house. Peter was seated, and Paul was seated. I sat down. Then Peter said they had a meeting the day before and decided they wouldn't need me for the peace moving forward. I asked why. He said that was the condition he gave Paul--if they were reuniting as P-Square, Jude wouldn't be involved. And for those who say Paul always sides with Jude, Paul sided with Peter and got me kicked out of P-Square.
"This happened in early December 2021. I can't remember the exact date. Does that look like someone siding with Jude? But that's just by the way. So I said no problem. Paul, you've been doing Rudeboy for almost five years now. I gave you all the support and assistance you needed. I even edited most of your videos, if not all, for free. Did you ever pay me? Have you ever done a show as Rudeboy and paid me anything? He said no. I gave you all the assistance. He said, 'for five years, even though nobody knew what I was doing for a living."'
Furthermore, Jude stated that despite being ousted from the group, he vowed to continue supporting them whenever they needed him.
He emphasised that his support for P-Square was driven by brotherly love, not a desire to make decisions for the group.
"P-Square or no P-Square, we still have to keep the brotherhood", he said.
Catalogue
Jude denied Mr P's allegation that he conspired with Rudeboy during P-Square's disputes, noting that both brothers signed documents to remove him from the P-Square catalogue, similar to how they removed him from P-Square.
He stated that he returned the catalogue to Peter and Paul after their reconciliation in 2021, but they refused to share their quarterly royalties with the group's account.
He said, "I did the noble thing by returning the catalogue so that the three of us could continue sharing it equally as usual, which was what was expected of me. But surprisingly, they refused to return theirs. As I'm speaking, they keep the royalty publishing they receive quarterly. I have returned the one I was holding, and the three of us have been sharing since early 2022.
"After removing me from P-Square, they want to remove me from the catalogue; the only legacy I have to show is that I was once a part of P-Square. Paul and Peter signed it with their two managers, M.M. and Sheu. I have the document with me here. I see no reason people keep saying I'm siding with Paul or that Paul is siding with me. That's the game Peter knows you all keep falling into, so he will keep doing it as long as he can."
Royalties
Also, Jude stated that the allegation of diverting P-Square's royalties Peter levelled against him was false.
"Then, all of a sudden, the royalty thing shifted when he discovered that all the allegations did not hold anything because he told EFCC that I was a bystander. It was established that I was part and parcel of P-Square on paper. So we went back to 2008 and 2009 when we came to Lagos, the first account we ever opened for me to explain every transaction that happened in our account for almost 19 to 20 years.
"EFCC said every money that has my name on it in the account must be explained, and I was able to, by His (God) grace, if not all of them, most of the accounts that he was pointing at. I think that's how he was trying to get Paul involved in the whole thing, saying that Paul and I were sharing money without giving him his share. He pointed out an account where Paul had $100,000, and there was none for him. And that place where Paul had $150,000, there was none for him. Then I was like, let me go and look at it and find out what because it's been like that since 2013 and 2014. I said, let me go and check. That was about ten years ago."
He added that Peter would always look for a way to bring him into trouble, noting that he had never diverted the music group's money.
"I came back with my defence, and I was like, this $100,000 he's complaining about was the same day he got engaged to his then-girlfriend, now wife. Paul did not buy Range Rover for anybody. He asked me to put his own in his account, and I did that. Why is he (Peter) calling EFCC on me to come and explain what Paul is doing with $100,000 in his account when you use your own to buy a Range Rover to engage your wife the same day? The second one, $150,000, was made in the middle of January 2014.
"You (Peter) told me you wanted to buy a Bentley. I gave you $200,000. Paul said I'm not buying a Bentley. Put $150,000 in my account and send me $50,000 to go to America to have fun with. You (Peter) is asking me to come to EFCC to explain why Paul has $150,000 in his account, and you don't have yours. Paul has $150,000 in his account; you had a Bentley. There was one again that he (Peter) held very dear. That's when money got into our account, $25,700 and something thousand dollars, and Paul and I came and split the money in half within four hours.
"I saw it, and I was wondering why $25,000 would get into our account. Paul and I will share the money in two immediately. I went back and checked, and behold, Peter wrote an email telling our client that they should split the money into three and send him his own because P-Square is having issues, and he doesn't want the money to be put in our general account.
"Jesse (their client whose name wasn't mentioned in full) ) now wrote an email saying, gentlemen, after discussing individually with the three of you, this is how the money will be shared. Jude plus Paul to Peter, $12,850. Peter's money was sent to him directly. Jude plus Paul's money was forwarded to the Northside Entertainment account, which he now saw in the account and picked up and said, this is the evidence that Jude and Paul are sharing money behind his back. This happened in 2016, and EFCC is holding me, asking me, and interrogating me to explain. Everything about this EFCC thing is just mind-boggling and crazy."
Secret company
Jude denied Mr P's allegation that he established a secret company with Rudeboy and his wife to misappropriate P-Square's funds.
Jude claimed that the company in question was Northside Entertainment, which was used to manage P-Square's affairs.
"This secret company is none other than Northside Music. How is it a secret company to Peter suddenly in 2024? How has Northside Music, which had a CAC certificate registration since 2015, turned secret? According to him, the address of the hidden company was my wife's address, and that's how he got my wife involved. Please look at the address here. So why would it say this is the same Squareville (house they were living) address where the three of us, Peter, Paul and Jude, live, or instead, we were living there? That was the address that was used to open the secret company. Peter has to look for a way to make whatever has to do with my account look fraudulent. I don't understand.
"This has been registered for nine years. Citamorgan was signed in October of 2013. Then I wasn't expecting to sign Citamorgan like you people already know. The contract was prepared by Citamorgan. They came to my room begging, so I did not have any company with which I ran. I'm already running with Northside Entertainment, which was P-Square and me. I want to make it a little firmer then; I now use the letterhead of Northside Entertainment to print the first page of that agreement. But whatever write-up about the deal is about Northside Music Inc.
He added that his wife's name was on the company directors' list because corporate accounts could not be opened in Nigeria as a single entity in 2015.
"So I had to get her inside as my second director, and that was how her name ended up in this document. When I went to the EFCC, we had to sit with the EFCC boss, the three of us. And the man asked Peter, why do you want to involve Jude's wife? We have investigated for six months. There is nowhere, how, or means that we have found any connection that has to do with her. They just used her name as a second director in the company registration. She's not in banking.
"She doesn't have access to the account. She doesn't have any security. She's not secured to the account. Why do you always want to have her involved? I've told you several times to leave her out of this.
Wife's involvement
Jude stated that Peter attributed the inclusion of his wife's name among the suspects to because of his alleged negative social media posts about his wife.
"Peter answered that he had to get her involved because if the table were turned the other way around, he would involve his wife. He should see what I (Jude) was talking about his wife on social media. Sometimes, I keep saying from 2016 that Peter needs help. Peter needs prayer. It looks like I'm making a jerk of him, but that's the fact.
"There is nothing I have not done to the point that I have left P-Square for you for eight years. I am not managing you. I am not directing for you. I'm not giving you any opinion. I am not. There is nothing. You are going your way. I'm going my way. I wish you guys well. When you guys returned in 2021, you called me to come and be the manager. No, I told you, let's enjoy the failure for a day or two. We need to come together and find out when this is over".
Settlement
Jude further accused Peter of consistently sabotaging P-Square's reconciliation efforts.
He claimed that numerous influential individuals had tried to reconcile the brothers but alleged that Peter would always undermine these efforts.
"We have family members. We have Igwes; we have older adults. But the question is, how come none of them ever make or don't make any imputes? They have. Igwe of our village have. Governors, Ministers, our aunties, uncles, all of them have. Peter doesn't listen to anybody. See, I'm not trying to put Peter down. I'm not trying to make him look bad. I'm not trying to say I'm a saint. I'm just trying to say there is nothing humanly possible that people have not done.
"They hear from me, they hear from Peter, and they're making a final submission, and when the submission is going towards Peter, he walks out. They got tired, and they forgot about it. I also got tired, forgot about it, and moved on. Now, everybody keeps saying, Jude, go and settle your brothers. You are the elder one. I have two elder brothers. Excuse me for being their elder brother, but please, somebody who doesn't regard you or respect you as an elder, how do you tell that person or put that person in order? If a referee becomes a target of two boxers you are supposed to referee, how does it settle the fight?"
EFCC
Narrating his EFCC experience, he said: "February ending, I started getting calls from people that I've done businesses with, people that I have made payments to, and people that have made payments to me, in fact, every transaction I've ever had, telling me that EFCC invited them to come and account for whatever business they had with me because most of them are on domain account. So, I believe the problem is with the new government in place and that they are chasing Binance; they are chasing everybody, and that's making the FX rise.
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"I was like, they'll just look at it and move past. Until somebody who paid Naira into the account called me and told me, they asked him to come and explain what he did and what the N500,000 he paid into my account in 2015 was for. Then I was like, this is not about FX or Binance anymore; something fishy is happening. So, it's kept on coming like that. Everybody I've ever done business with was calling me different people."
Additionally, Jude added that two days before his birthday, the anti-graft agency invited him and found out Peter had written a petition against him and Paul for diverting Psquare money.
He said he went with a P-Square lawyer, adding, "They opened the file and asked me if this money was found in your account. I said yes. This money belongs to P-Square. I said yes. So, what is it doing in my account? Why are you asking me what P-Square's money is doing in my account? It is my share of P-Square. They were like, no, there's a petition against me. I said they should let me see what the petition was about. Then they gave me the petition. That's when I knew Peter had written the petition against me in December 2023.
"The petition says I opened a secret company. I was like, no, this is royalties. Paul has the same publishing royalty coming to him every quarter. Peter had agreements with the three of us about anything that had to do with P-Square. Peter gets his own; he shares it with us. Paul gets his own; he shares it with us. I got my own; I shared it with two of them. That's how it went until 2017 when P-Square had issues. Peter stopped sharing. Paul came and gave me my. I thought you could keep your money because Peter has stopped sharing.
"So I think what will happen now is that everybody should start keeping what they get. Because Peter is incommunicado now, nobody can reach him. So I think that's the best thing. Paul was like, let everybody keep what they get. And that's how it has been for over four and a half to five years, or until 2021 November, when they came back together."
MOU and CAC documents
He stated that Peter's petition accused him of being an unemployed graduate from Jos who was given a managerial position following the death of their former manager.
"They (EFCC) said, but the two (Paul and Peter) are P-Square because he (Peter) said I was an unemployed graduate from Jos who didn't have any job, and when they had issues with their former manager, they now invited me to come and manage P-square for them so I can be on salary. I told him no, but I was the one that brought them to Lagos. I was the one who even made the group P-square.
"I said when I'm coming tomorrow, I'm going to bring my CACs, MOUs, and every document I had to prove that I am not just a bystander. I am part and parcel of P-square. I didn't come with my main lawyer the next day, because it was my birthday. I gave them all the documents. They looked at it and wondered if Peter had signed it. I said, look at his signature. This is the CAC that will open the company with both Square Records and Northside Entertainment. They were like, I'm even more than P-square. They said I'm entitled to 40 per cent shares. Why were the two of them entitled to 30 per cent each? I said I was not supposed to say it with my mouth. Then they said, okay, if that is the case, so I should come and prove to them that we have an MOU and are supposed to share it equally. I said if the CAC is not enough, we have an MOU. This is the MOU. The MOU clearly stated that the P-square comprises three entities, Peter, Paul, and Jude."
