The rift between the members of the
PSquare, Paul and Peter Okoye, which started two years ago, is
threatening to break up the music group...Matters assumed a different dimension on
Monday when Peter wrote a letter to their lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo,
and demanded the formal termination of the agreement binding him, his
twin brother and their elder brother, Jude, as members of the group.In the letter, which went viral on
social media, Peter gave reasons why he decided to quit. One of them is
that Paul had begun to take decisions without consulting him.
Peter also accused his twin brother and
Jude of antagonizing his wife and telling lies against her on social
media, as well as threatening to kill him in the presence of the wife of
a former governor of Cross Rivers State.
Although he indicated in the letter that
he still cherishes his family bond with Paul and Jude, he made it clear
that his immediate family (his wife and children) were more important
to him.
However, Peter’s latest decision did not
come as a surprise to the numerous fans of the PSquare who followed the
progress of the group since its inception. It will be recalled that the
twin brothers had a similar crisis in 2015, which led to a temporary
breakup of their partnership.
The impact of the crisis must have been
so deep and rattling that the brothers had each resorted to positioning
themselves for solo careers in the future. At that time, they took on
pseudonyms: Paul wanted to be known as Rudeboy, while Peter called
himself Mr. P.
At a glance, it seemed that the twins
knew that sometime in the future they would have to go their separate
ways and so, they prepared themselves for it.
All the while, many Nigerian fans of
PSquare pleaded with the Okoye brothers to put an end to the frequent
bickering and fights within the group. With the current situation, they
have no other choice than to express their disappointment on the various
social media platforms, such as Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.
Some fans still hang on to the belief
that the latest crisis is a gimmick deployed by the twins and their
handlers to generate publicity. Others are convinced that the PSquare
have not only lost a significant proportion of their followers, but also
their prestige to the current development.
Only last week, a worried fan predicted
the possible breakup of the group. He had told our correspondent, “From
what I have read on social media, I think the Psquare brothers may be
heading for a final breakup. The signs are obvious.”
Now it seems the fan was right, after
all. Peter’s letter and the video of a violent argument he had with his
brother’s in Keyamo’s office, which has since gone viral on the
Internet, tells it all.
Now that it is obvious that the PSquare
is on the throes of death, there is growing concern over the vacuum that
its exit may create in the Nigerian music scene. But the group will not
be the first to experience a breakup.
After performing together in the group
known as KC Presh for 12 years and winning many fans across Nigeria,
Kingsley Okonkwo, a.k.a KCee, and his friend, Precious John, a.k.a,
Presh, decided to part ways in 2011. In subsequent interviews with the
media, both singers indicated that the decision was mutual and not
preceded by internal wrangling of any sort.
In the same year, D’banj (real name is
Daniel Oyebanjo) announced that he was leaving his records label of many
years, Mo’Hits and his partner, Don Jazzy.
Stating why he had to go, the singer had
said, “No doubt, I have enjoyed a career boost with the label, but
unknown to my fans and members of the general public; I have been
short-changed at various occasions and defrauded. While I will not want
to go into dirty and shocking details of some of the happenstances I
would want you all to know that we have agreed to go our different ways
amicably.”
Although both KCee and D’Banj remained
quite relevant and visible on the Nigerian entertainment scene after
leaving their respective groups, it is not certain if either of the
Okoye brothers will enjoy as much followership in their solo careers as
they did when they performed in a group.
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