Aston Lukoye
- P-Square were among the first musicians to introduce Afrobeat music to other parts of the continent.
- They dominated the genre in Nigeria for many years.
- The musical group P-Square was made up of twins Peter and Paul Okoye.
- There is not much sign that the conflict between the Nigerian twins will be resolved anytime soon.
According to an open letter posted on social media by one of the twins in response to allegations of business wrongdoing, there has been an increase in hatred between the two.
On Monday, August 12, 2024, Peter “Mr. P” Okoye expressed his disappointment and concern over a series of recent public statements by his brother, Paul “Rudeboy” Okoye, which he claimed misrepresented the truth about their working relationship and his personal contributions to the group.
Peter accuses his twin brother Paulo of damaging the legacy of the brand they formed together.
“To my good brother Paul Okoye nicknamed Rudeboy, as I have stated many times, I am not competing with you or anyone else” said Peter.
“However, having you engage in many interviews and express hatred for my efforts in a group that we have all founded and built together means a lot” continued Peter.
“In your latest interview, you claimed to have written and sang 99% of P Square’s songs, and you insulted me by claiming that our song “EjeaJo” with TI, which I wrote, was not successful. It didn’t finish there, and you decided to humiliate me again through YouTube comments,” Peter wrote in a long post shared on social media.
Peter voiced dismay at his brother’s behavior, accusing him of conspiring with their older brother, Jude, who he claimed was trying to “suppress” him.
He refuted Paul’s claim that he was the primary songwriter and singer for P-Square, stating that their success was the result of their teamwork.
Peter listed some of the band’s tracks, asking if they were also considered unsuccessful singles.
“You have never recognized other songs like ‘Get-Squared’, ‘Bizzy Body’, ‘Personally’, ‘Roll It’, ‘Temptation’, ‘Alingo’, ‘More than a Friend’, ‘Shekini’, ‘Say Your Love’, ‘Gimme Dat’, ‘Senorita’, ‘Igbedu’, and a few others. “Did these songs also fail?” Peter inquired.
He also slammed Paul for his frequent attempts to downplay his achievements, accusing him of turning P-Square, Africa’s best-known brand and most awarded music group, into a “grotesque”.
“It must be realized that P-Square’s popularity was not based on who sang or danced the best. What made us successful was our quality and situation, which resulted from our combined efforts – the two of us! P-Square was strong, and fans liked P-Square because of our uniqueness and unity,” he explained.
He also criticized Paul for comparing himself to Jude, claiming that family dynamics were a significant factor in the band’s issues.
“You disrespected my wife, my family, my talent, my thoughts and even took Jude’s side when he was trying to oppress me.” He said.
In his final statement, Peter emphasized his disappointment with the current circumstances and the influence that P-Square has had on their supporters.
“Now I feel like you’ve gone even further by attempting to turn the fans against me by making them believe I’m jealous of you.” You’ve done everything possible to make the fans hate me, but you know what? They won’t hate me; instead, they’ll hate all of us for failing to meet their expectations.”
The P-Square siblings, who separated up in 2017 over a disagreement with their oldest brother, Jude Okoye, reunited in 2021, much to the delight of their fans.
Although the true cause of their breakup has never been revealed, several social media speculations that have circulated after their separation suggest that the disagreement involved their wives and their elder brother, who also served as their manager.
Following their separation, they both pursued solo music careers under the names Mr. P (Peter) and Rudeboy (Paul), but never achieved the degree of popularity they experienced with P-Square as a group.
They dominated Nigerian Afrobeat music for many years and were among the first to export the genre to other regions of the continent.
