Jude Okoye, the long-time manager of the now-defunct P-Square group, has addressed recent allegations of fraud made against him and Paul Okoye by Peter Okoye.
The tension between Peter and Paul, which first surfaced in 2017 and led to the split of P-Square, has resurfaced despite a brief reconciliation in November 2021.
Recently, Paul accused Peter of orchestrating his arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), while Peter countered by accusing Jude of diverting millions of dollars from their joint account into a secret company.
In response to the allegations, Jude took to Instagram Live to clarify the situation, revealing the financial arrangement within the group.
He stated that the proceeds from P-Square were divided, with him receiving 40 percent and Peter and Paul each receiving 30 percent.
Jude denied Peter’s accusations of syphoning P-Square’s royalties into a private account.
He recounted his visit to the EFCC office, where he provided documents, including the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) certificates for Square Records and Northside Entertainment, to prove the agreed-upon sharing formula.
Jude also presented a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to support his claims.
Reflecting on the rift, Jude revealed that the conflict between the brothers began in 2013 and escalated until the official split in 2016.
Despite attempts at reconciliation in 2021, unresolved issues persisted, leading to another fallout.
Jude shared that several prominent Nigerians, including Emeka Offor, the late Ifeanyi Uba, Dantata, Atiku Abubakar, and Peter Obi, among others, had tried to mediate between the brothers without success.
He expressed his frustration at being repeatedly involved in their disputes and urged Peter and Paul to resolve their differences independently.
“I have not been with P-Square for the past eight years, since 2016,” Jude said, emphasising his limited involvement in their ongoing issues.
He also noted that both brothers have children who are now teenagers and stressed the importance of them taking responsibility for their own conflicts.
Jude concluded by saying he had done everything he could, including sacrificing himself, to try and mend the rift between Peter and Paul.
“These people [Peter and Paul] have children who are teenagers. If they were in America, they would be grandfathers now,” Jude said.
“Why is it that Peter always involved me in their fight?
“It is because he had that impression that people always called Jude, the elder one, [to say] ‘go and settle your brothers, go and put your family in order’.
“What do you mean by go and put your family in order? My family is in order. Let them put their family in order.
“If they are doing business together, let them put it in order. I have tried to the point where I sacrificed myself.”
