Former P-Square manager Jude Okoye has responded to new claims made by his brother, Peter “Mr P” Okoye. Jude insists he never took the group’s money and challenged the authorities to jail him if he is found guilty.
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Jude’s reply comes days after Mr P released a four-part video series on social media. In these videos, Mr P accused Jude of holding back financial records, delaying access to the group’s backend catalogue, and mismanaging royalty payments. This has brought back public interest in the family’s long-standing feud.
P-Square, which includes twin brothers Peter and Paul Okoye, was a big name in African music for over ten years before they split in 2017. They did come back together in 2021 but broke up again in 2024 due to new disagreements about money and management.
The disagreement led to an investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). They charged Jude with money laundering. He has pleaded not guilty, and the case is still pending in the Federal High Court in Lagos.
In a video posted on his social media on Sunday night, Jude called Mr P’s claims “blatant lies” and “manipulative tactics.” He said that the issues about royalty payments and records were already looked at during the EFCC investigation and that they are still before the court.
Royalty Payments
Jude rejected Mr P’s claim that he diverted royalty payments meant for the group. He argued that the disputed funds were shared based on instructions from Mr P himself.
He mentioned an email dated 1 June 2016 from Arrow Kings and IROKO. This email explained how the outstanding digital royalty earnings were to be divided. Mr P was to get his share directly, while the rest meant for Jude and Paul went into the Nosa Entertainment account.
According to Jude, the email said that Peter was to receive $12,891, while Jude and Paul would get $25,782.
He argued that Peter later shared only part of the transaction publicly. This made it seem like he and Paul had taken money that belonged to all three members of the group.
‘I Was a Signatory’
Jude also denied Peter’s claim that he was not a signatory to P-Square’s bank accounts.
He showed what he called FCMB account mandate documents, insisting that Peter, Paul, and he were authorized signatories to the group’s accounts. Jude said this issue was raised in court, where Peter acknowledged that he was a signatory after seeing the evidence.
Backend Records Controversy
Jude denied Peter’s claim that he delayed sending P-Square’s backend catalogue and streaming records when investors showed interest in buying the group’s catalogue.
Jude said Peter asked for the catalogue and royalty statements on 16 October 2022. He said he quickly contacted Lex Records for the documents. He claimed the accounting records were sent the same day, while the backend logs were sent to Peter six days later.
He said Peter’s claim that it took three-and-a-half months to release the records was false and meant to make him look bad.
Payments and EFCC Investigation
Jude claimed that the disputed royalty payments and emails were already shown during the EFCC investigation. He said Peter and his legal team saw the documents during the investigation and did not raise any objections.
He accused Peter of returning to social media to bring up issues that are still before the court. Jude asked, “So what is he doing, coming out again now, if not to spill emotional blackmail, manipulate, and make me look like a bad person by dragging Paul into this?”
‘Stop Trying to Manipulate Paul’
Jude accused Peter of trying to pull Paul Okoye into the dispute to create new drama around P-Square. He said Peter’s recent videos were meant to provoke Paul into a public response and distract from the ongoing court case.
Jude said disagreements about comments Paul made during media interviews while promoting his new music should have stayed between the brothers instead of becoming another P-Square issue.
‘If I’m Guilty, Send Me to Jail’
Jude said he remains the defendant in the ongoing criminal case and wants the court to settle the matters Peter raised. He claimed Peter has not attended recent court sessions, which caused delays in the case until September. He said his bank accounts, passport, and travel documents have been restricted since the case began.
Jude stated, “If I’m found guilty, if they prove I took even one kobo that wasn’t mine, let them send me to jail. I’m ready for that.”
As of now, Peter has not publicly responded to Jude’s latest claims. The criminal case between them is still ongoing in the Federal High Court in Lagos.
