Jude Okoye speaks on P-Square royalties, feud

Jude Okoye, the manager of the defunct music group P-Square, has denied claims that he diverted millions of dollars from the singing duo’s royalties into a private account.

In a statement released on X last Monday, his younger brother, Peter, recounted how he discovered a secret company called Northside Music, founded by Jude and his wife, Ifeoma Okoye, used in carrying out the act.

Peter, one of the singing duo, alleged that the company, which bore a similar name to P-Square’s official management company, Northside Entertainment, had been quietly siphoning large sums from the group’s royalties for years.

However, in an Instagram live session on Saturday, Jude denied the allegations, saying, “Northside Music is not a secret company.” He said he founded the company in 2013 and had even signed artiste Cynthia Morgan under the label, with Peter’s knowledge.

Jude addressed his matter with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stating that individuals he transacted businesses with contacted him that the anti-graft agency was probing him based on a petition filed by Peter.

Jude had been detained and questioned by the EFCC in April for allegedly diverting P-Square’s funds in his account. However, he explained that the money was his rightful share, as per an agreement to split P-Square’s royalties three ways.

“This is publishing royalties, and we have an agreement that P-Square proceeds go three ways,” he explained, stating he also presented his Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) documents to the EFCC, proving his 40 per cent stake in P-Square’s earnings.

“They started asking me some irritable questions like where I got the money to build my house in Ikoyi,” Jude recalled, noting that the building was partly financed by selling his house in America and borrowing money from colleagues.

Jude narrated the internal conflicts that have fuelled the rift between the singing duo, Peter and Paul, saying he had not been involved with P-Square since 2016.

“I’ve not been with P-Square for the past eight years, since 2016,” Jude stated, revealing that the rift between the twins began in 2013 and continued until the group officially split in 2016.

According to Jude, the situation worsened in 2021 when the brothers attempted a reunion, which ultimately failed due to unresolved differences.

Jude expressed disappointment over how the situation had escalated, stating that after P-Square’s reunion in 2021, he had suggested dialogue with Peter and Paul to discuss their future as a group.

“When I asked for us to resolve the issues, Peter said no, that ‘let bygones be bygones’,” he said.

Jude revealed that he later discovered that Peter and Paul had held a meeting without him, during which they decided to exclude him from future P-Square activities.

“They planned to kick me out of P-Square and made the managers sign, too,” Jude said.

Jude also alleged that Peter orchestrated a plan to discredit him by involving a blogger to secretly record him and his wife coming out from the EFCC office to create a sensational story.

While Peter has vowed to release more details, including the EFCC’s final report, Jude also said he’ll share some documents andt ell more stories on Monday.