{"id":8325,"date":"2016-03-21T16:29:52","date_gmt":"2016-03-21T16:29:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/?p=8325"},"modified":"2016-03-21T16:29:52","modified_gmt":"2016-03-21T16:29:52","slug":"how-my-brothers-ganged-up-against-me-psquares-peter-okoye-opens-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/?p=8325","title":{"rendered":"\u2018HOW MY BROTHERS GANGED UP AGAINST ME\u2019 \u2013 PSQUARE\u2019S PETER OKOYE OPENS UP"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><code><!-- BEGIN JUMIA --><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/marketing.net.jumia.com.ng\/ts\/i3556158\/tsc?amc=aff.jumia.44339.52450.18816&amp;tst=!!TIMESTAMP!!\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/marketing.net.jumia.com.ng\/ts\/i3556158\/tsv?amc=aff.jumia.44339.52450.18816&amp;tst=!!TIMESTAMP!!\" alt=\"NG-[C_G.Wacc,B:Allbrand,Wk:1116,Dim:336x280]:Bags\" width=\"336\" height=\"280\" border=\"0\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><\/code><\/p>\n<p><!-- END JUMIA --><\/p>\n<p>THENETNG\u00a0spent some time with him in his\u00a0Lekki-home on Thursday, March 17, having been invited by his new manager,\u00a0<strong>Olatunde Michaels <\/strong>of Play Centre.<\/p>\n<p>When we arrive, he\u2019s sitting in the living room, with a young assistant keeping him company. He\u2019s dressed casually, in a patterned T-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2018How now\u2019?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2018I\u2019m okay man. Long long time.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>We hugged briefly as I sat next to him.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_370689\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">We spent Thursday afternoon chatting with Peter Okoye about the on-going beef with his twin brother Paul, and their elder brother Jude. It\u2019s his first interview since the Psquare brouhaha became public.<\/p>\n<p><code><a href=\"http:\/\/www.konga.com\/shoe-week?utm_source=affiliates&amp;utm_medium=link&amp;utm_term=shoe-week&amp;utm_content=23_06_2015&amp;utm_campaign=shoe-week&amp;k_id=Omafume&amp;k_bid=9bbb9f25\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong>Shoe week<\/strong><br \/>\n<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: 0;\" src=\"http:\/\/konga.postaffiliatepro.com\/scripts\/io3dhla?k_id=Omafume&amp;k_bid=9bbb9f25\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/><br \/>\n<\/code><a href=\"http:\/\/www.konga.com\/cooking-baking-ingredients?utm_source=affiliates&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;utm_term=cooking-baking-ingredients&amp;utm_content=17_11_2015&amp;utm_campaign=cooking-baking-ingredients&amp;k_id=Omafume&amp;k_bid=fd480db9\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"\" src=\"\/\/konga.postaffiliatepro.com\/accounts\/default1\/bo3dhla\/fd480db9.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" \/><\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: 0;\" src=\"http:\/\/konga.postaffiliatepro.com\/scripts\/io3dhla?k_id=Omafume&amp;k_bid=fd480db9\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The last time I spent time with Peter Okoye, or indeed P-Square was 8 years ago, before my \u2018Spoilt Superstars\u2019 article\u00a0which truncated the friendly relationship we had.<\/p>\n<p>When I last visited the Okoyes, they had just moved into their Omole home in Lagos. We had breakfast and talked about everything \u2013 from PSquare\u00a0to PMAN and properties. Peter took me round the massive building, showing off a well-equipped studio, gym facilities and the impressive interior decor. They would later leave this house for an even bigger mansion, nicknamed Square Ville, also in Omole, Lagos.<\/p>\n<p>The Okoye brothers rose rapidly, from squatting with <strong>Howie T<\/strong>, a music promoter, in his Ilupeju family home, to living in a modest bungalow also in Ilupeju, before joining the big league and the millionaires club.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kaymu.com.ng\/women-fashion\/?utm_source=pap&amp;utm_medium=aff&amp;utm_campaign=e57e51c8&amp;a_aid=Omafume&amp;a_bid=e57e51c8\" target=\"_top\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"\" src=\"\/\/kaymu.postaffiliatepro.com\/accounts\/default1\/a72f75b38\/e57e51c8.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"336\" height=\"280\" \/><\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: 0;\" src=\"http:\/\/kaymu.postaffiliatepro.com\/scripts\/a72f75i38?a_aid=Omafume&amp;a_bid=e57e51c8\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>T<\/strong>hen we met\u00a0on Thursday, it was in a Lekki court, where Peter and <strong>Paul<\/strong><strong><u>,<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0now married with children, live in separate buildings with their families. Peter tells me they\u2019re moving very soon, possibly to Parkview estate in Ikoyi, where they\u2019ve been building their most exorbitant homes yet.<br \/>\nFrom getting rejected by record labels, to having Howie T set up Timbuktu records because no one would sign them, to the days of\u00a0<strong>Get Squared<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>Busy Body<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>Do Me<\/strong>,\u00a0Psquare\u00a0has demonstrated how it\u2019s possible to grow from nothing to something. Leaving Jos as <strong>Michael Jackson<\/strong>\u00a0wannabe dancers to Lagos, where they found favour in a\u00a0<em>Benson &amp; Hedges<\/em>\u00a0competition, life has been very good to them. 15 years later, their light doesn\u2019t look like it\u2019s about to dim. Fans are still in love with the music; corporate Nigeria still wants the brand.<\/p>\n<p>But something is wrong.<\/p>\n<p>Peter and Paul, who live just a building apart, rarely set eyes on one another. They\u2019re no longer the inseparable duo everyone loves to love. They haven\u2019t performed together since December 28, 2015. In fact, they\u2019ve only seen each other a couple of times since then, in rather hostile circumstances, Peter tells Nigerian Entertainment Today. After years of dealing with family issues and trying to solve their differences, they\u2019re now dishing out dirty details on social media, using their very own hands to drag a brand they\u2019ve built over nearly two decades through the mud.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This is not the first time bands will disintegrate. There\u2019s been Sir Shina Adewale. There\u2019s been, in recent times, The Remedies, Plantashun Boiz, STYL Plus, and, if one is to consider them a band, Mo\u2019Hits. The world remains in shock, about what has become of the union of D\u2019Banj and <strong>Don Jazzy<\/strong>, the Mo\u2019Hits leaders who, before our very eyes, tore down everything that held them together.<\/p>\n<p>If\u00a0<strong>D\u2019banj and Don Jazzy<\/strong>\u2019s break up was understandable, since they were merely close friends and business partners, the fall of Psquare, following the apparently irreconcilable spat between Peter on one side, and Jude and Paul on the other, is harder to believe or understand.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s real. Fighting back tears, Peter, who\u2019s the first to go public with what\u2019s been a private issue for years, tells us Psquare fans must understand that this is the end of the band as they know it.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The truth is\u2019, he says, as\u00a0his daughter<strong>\u00a0Aliona\u00a0<\/strong>comes in, needing help to fix her toy, \u2018the fans should be happy that we were able to drop the \u2018Double Trouble\u2019 album in 2014. What\u2019s happening now should have happened then.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_247329\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Peter Okoye\u2019s daughter Aliona turned three in January.\u00a0Photo: Instagram<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2018The issue was the fact that I was in Psquare and it felt like I was in fear. If I don\u2019t do this, Psquare will break-up, if I don\u2019t do that, Psquare will scatter.\u2019<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_102874\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Peter and Jude Okoye at their site at Park View Estate, Ikoyi<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2018Four years ago, I told Jude he needs to step down as our manager, because I didn\u2019t want to disrespect him as a brother, but this is business, [and] we have to structure it. And Jude said to me that there\u2019s a way I [should] talk to him, and [threatened to] slap me. So I kept quiet.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018So, a few hours after, Paul came to me and said if I want Jude to step down it wasn\u2019t a problem, but it meant that he (Paul) would go solo. The first time word got out about Psquare breaking up, a lot of people called us; senators, governors, and people like that. In fact, three of us were once in a private jet to go and see someone who wanted to resolve our issues, and we didn\u2019t speak to each other throughout the flight. At the end of the day, I swallowed my pride for peace to reign and allowed Jude to remain as our manager.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Aliona is back again with her toy. Peter checks and sees it\u2019s in need of a battery, so he sends her to a domestic staff. He\u2019s careful to not lose his train of thought. He\u2019s struggling to fight back tears.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u2018I and Paul stay together in this estate and the last time I saw him was about a week ago.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><strong>But you live in the same premises. Why is this so?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2018Truth is, I\u2019ve not been in talking terms with Paul since December 2015 and that was why I travelled in January because I had a lot on my mind.<\/p>\n<p>Something happened at Mavin Studios last year that broke my heart.<\/p>\n<p>Now listen to this, Psquare featured on songs with <strong>J-Martins, Bracket, LKT, 9ice<\/strong>and these 4 songs were done by Paul alone, but guess what, did I appear in the videos, YES\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Now hear this, we have other collabos with\u00a0. I did these songs alone. How come they don\u2019t have videos? Paul refused to appear in the videos.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018So I told Paul that when next he does a collabo alone, he should be in the video alone, because it got to a point where artistes began to feel if they did a collabo with Paul it [would] get a video, but if it was me, it [wouldn\u2019t] get a video.<\/p>\n<p>The last collabo we did was with <strong>Flavour<\/strong> and I refused to do another one. Even Flavour had to speak all the Igbo he knows to convince me before I agreed to do it. Only for my brother to come and tell me that \u2018<em>shey I thought you said you won\u2019t appear in any video that I did the collabo alone? Why did you appear on this one<\/em>?\u2019. I was sad but I knew another one will come\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018So\u00a0<strong>Tiwa Savage<\/strong>\u00a0called me; apparently Paul had done a song with her \u2013 not the campaign song they are promoting now, another Psquare collabo entirely. So she [said] she\u2019s been trying to reach Paul to get the CD of the song from him [because] he\u2019s already done his part, so I went to Paul\u2019s house to help ask for it and tell him I want to go to the studio to do my verse and he said he doesn\u2019t know where the CD is.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I went to the Mavin studio to meet Tiwa. When I got there, she asked for the CD and I told her Paul didn\u2019t give me any CD, so I called him again and gave the phone to Tiwa and [he] told her on phone that the CD is at Omole, so I got into the studio, recorded my verse and when I finished, everybody was clapping. I was surprised to realize that Paul had [told] them that I don\u2019t sing or write songs.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I felt really bad and betrayed, but I covered up for him. I jokingly asked\u00a0<strong>Teebillz<\/strong>\u00a0if they gave him Red Label and he said yes, so I was like you guys caused it, and we laughed over it. So when my assistant went to pick up the CD, Paul and Jude started shouting at him to \u2018<em>ask Peter what is he doing at the Mavin studio? He knows how we work.<\/em>\u2019 The next day, I went to Paul and told him how I felt when I heard what he said. Only for Jude to say that\u00a0<strong>he made Paul the lead singer of Psquare 8 years ago!<\/strong>\u00a0A leader leads, he doesn\u2019t destroy.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Those close to the Okoyes say their elder brother Jude is central to their problems. Howie T, their first manager admitted as much in an exclusive interview with THENETNG\u2019s <strong>Dayo Showemimo<\/strong> early this week. But industry watchers insist Jude was the reason the group became profitable in the first place. Psquare are known to bill more than anyone else. When other A-listers were comfortable with N3-5m, they were charging N6.5m. When artistes were happy to go overseas for peanuts and the promise of promos, they insisted on up to $120K. They turned down major shows if the price was wrong. It soon became an industry standard \u2013 if you wanted Psquare, you had to put big bucks on the table. When Globacom, a Nigerian telecommunication company, signed an endorsement deal with them six years ago, their total fees went up to N240m. No Nigerian artiste has in recent times, matched Psquare in billing. And very few, if any at all, can hold a candle to them when it comes to live performances.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_364310\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Psquare were the only brand ambassadors presented with brand new Range Rover and a Mercedes Benz G-Wagon courtesy of GLO<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>But Peter says in spite of all this, Psquare had zero structure.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018When it came to decision-making, it was always a Triangle formation, and the highest vote wins. I never used to complain because we were all okay, but what has changed now is the fact that we\u2019ve grown. You can make a certain decision based on how we used to do it and it may affect everyone as an individual, but it gets to a point when the decisions taken are never my own and I began to wonder if anything was wrong.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Most of Psquare ideas came from me, like [the] materials we needed to put out for people to see, video, stage performances and all. But when I came up with them, nobody wanted to accept it. I didn\u2019t complain because people still love what we do, but then again, there wasn\u2019t much competition in the industry back then.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018As time goes, we should get better; it shouldn\u2019t be same triangle deciding, because if we continue that same way, we\u2019ll lose it. All I want is a proper structure in the sense that, we need to have proper management, business managers and all.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018As I speak to you right now, we don\u2019t have an office, [we have] no structure. When this issue started about five years ago, our lawyer told us the way we run our business is wrong.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I\u2019ll give you an instance\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We had to go perform somewhere once, and because I had a slight argument with Paul, he said he wasn\u2019t going. It was the wedding of the President\u2019s daughter. When I got to the airport my brother wasn\u2019t there, and I [didn\u2019t know] how I was going to explain to the President that we [couldn\u2019t] perform. I made up my mind to go with the band, perform like that and lie that my brother was sick. So we left for Abuja, and when we got to the hotel, my assistant manager called [to say] he was on the way to the airport with Paul, so we had to wait for them to land in Abuja and that was why we couldn\u2019t make it on time to the reception.\u2019<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_370707\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Psquare at President Buhari\u2019s inauguration ceremony in Abuja.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2018The president was mad. In fact, Mama Peace (Patience Jonathan) was really mad. But we eventually made up for it with a performance at the Gala night. Only for Jude to [tell me that] Paul said he wasn\u2019t going for a show and I still went [without him]. Imagine if Jude had a proper structure and we had contracts? That wouldn\u2019t happen. And it was more because the show came through me. If the show came through Jude, it wouldn\u2019t have happened. I don\u2019t have a problem with doing things as a family, but structure and proper organization is important too. The name Psquare is very big outside but inside we have no structure. I see people like Audu of Chocolate City, Mavin Records, even Ubi Franklin, and I wanted us to have a structure like that. Psquare is just up there because of the grace of God.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><strong>You\u2019ve said a lot about Jude being the problem, and how you\u2019re the minority. But, really, as Peter, what do you bring to the table?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2018It\u2019s really sad that people have labeled me \u2018Dancer\u2019 and they don\u2019t really know what I do for Psquare. Kudos to Paul, I\u2019m not a good songwriter; in fact, I\u2019ll rate myself 30%, so when it comes to song writing, I give it to Paul 100%.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018However, not writing songs does not disqualify you from being a musician. I can tell you for free that a Nigerian wrote two of the songs on <strong>Rihanna<\/strong>\u2019s new album. I\u2019ve travelled a lot and most times people ask, \u2018which one are you, the singer or the dancer\u2019? And it\u2019s really sad.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018In Psquare, I am the creative person, I can sit-down and tell you what people want to hear, what they want to see and what they want to learn from Psquare. But it\u2019s not something to brag about.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Jude directs all our videos.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018This whole thing began when Paul went online and started posting lyrics of most of our songs on Instagram [and saying]that he wrote them all, just because Peter brought in something to the table. I had been trying to bring more business for Psquare. I didn\u2019t know it was going to cause problems. I sent my manager to a meeting in Senegal to meet with Universal music about getting us deals, and when he came back, the way they responded to him wasn\u2019t encouraging.\u2019<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_369501\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Peter Okoye with his new manager, Olatunde Micheals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2018So I had to send\u00a0<strong>Diouf<\/strong> (the footballer) to help get the documents and convince my brothers before we could pull through with the deal. After some months, we started making money. Meanwhile, while filling the forms, Jude filled everything as Psquare. So the first payment came and we shared it. The second payment was bigger, and we shared it too. That was when Paul said we had to re-fill the form and give proper credit to the songwriter (Himself) and said if the form wasn\u2019t brought back, he would expose me and tell the world that he writes all the songs. The next day he went online to post those lyrics. So my question is, when he was doing that what did Jude do about it? Absolutely nothing!\u2019<\/p>\n<p><strong>PAUL IS WEAK<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2018I remember I once told Paul something when Jude became our manager; he was using the term \u2018Our Money,\u2019 that was when we made our first 1 million [naira]. I called Paul and told him that our former manager used to make about 15%, and now that Jude is our manager, let\u2019s think of a percentage that we\u2019ll be giving him and put it on paper. Paul said it\u2019s not necessary. He probably went to tell Jude about it. I\u2019m sorry to say this, but I think Paul is weak.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018You know they say change is constant, you can\u2019t stay in one spot. As the industry moves, you move. So I won\u2019t say the problem we have is money. I think everybody is just dragging power unnecessarily. Imagine Jude telling me that he\u2019s in charge of Psquare and there\u2019s nothing Peter and Paul can do about it, and I look at Paul and he\u2019s quiet about it. I\u2019ve never seen where a manager talks to his artistes anyhow. If there\u2019s an issue you should call us aside quietly to talk about it.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>WHY I CALLED OUT JUDE ON SOCIAL MEDIA<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2018On December 14, 2015, we sat down to have a meeting hoping to set a proper structure in place, but Paul noticed that it wasn\u2019t working the way he wanted, so he said he\u2019s starting a new group. I thought he meant he wanted to start a record label, and he was like no, he\u2019s starting a new group that he belongs to. And Jude simply said, \u2018anybody stop you?\u2019 He picked up his phones and walked out of the meeting. I felt it had already been discussed behind me. I later found out that Paul was already recruiting for the group and Jude is their manager. At the moment I hear they are called \u2018The MVPs\u2019 I don\u2019t know what it means yet.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018So how do you expect me to be managed by the same person we\u2019ve been having issues with, who is now the manager of the other group? There\u2019ll surely be conflict of interest.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018[Recently] Jude called me, after I had said he was fired. He called me on a\u00a0Thursday\u00a0to say \u2018Hope you know we are going to the embassy tomorrow\u00a0for that show in Holland.\u2019 I know about the show, [because] it was already booked before the issues started, so I told him, \u2018Bro you are not my manager, talk to my manager.\u2019 He said, \u2018Noted.\u2019 The next day, they went to the embassy with the new group members, which means they had already set up their interviews at the embassy because it\u2019s not possible to get an appointment in less than 24 hours. I traced the organisers and told them Jude represents only Paul. I told them this is what it takes to get Peter and Paul, Peter alone or Paul alone.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018So I went on social media to protect our careers, because if I didn\u2019t do that, Psquare will not release any material anytime soon, they\u2019ll be busy promoting their artistes.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018And I remember going to talk to Paul about it before I went on social media. I went to his house, and he was in his room with his friend, [whom I asked to excuse us, but] Paul said, no, his friend should stay, [and that] anything I want to say should be said in front of him. So I said, no, you know we are brothers and he was like, \u2018<em>oh, na now you know say we be brothers.\u2019<\/em> I told him I came to talk to him about what\u2019s been happening, but it was turning into an argument so I left and I travelled out. I was away for over a month, knowing that we didn\u2019t have any shows at that time. I went to Turkey and London to rest my mind, my friend\u00a0<strong>Samuel Eto\u2019o<\/strong> invited me to come.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><strong>HOW I FIRED JUDE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2018The day I fired Jude was at a concert. The day I came back, we had a show, so I went straight to the venue in Lagos and told Jude I want to talk to him, and he said I should say anything I want to say in front of everyone, [which] was the same attitude Paul gave me before I travelled. So Jude said if I like, I should get out, and I said \u2018guy don\u2019t embarrass me.\u2019 He said who are you, because you think you are Psquare? So I told him openly that if he cannot resolve me and Paul\u2019s issue, he doesn\u2019t deserve to be our manager, and he said I should get out. There and then I told him \u2018You are fired\u2019! He looked at me and said, \u2018<em>You fit fire me?\u2019<\/em> That was when I entered my car and started tweeting. How else can you take him out?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018[In fact,] long before I made up my mind, Paul had already said there\u2019s no more Psquare, [and that] if Jude leaves, he goes with him.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Before I announced my management, I wanted my mind to be clear, so I went back to Paul, this time we were alone and we [discussed things]; I told him I had no issues with him, but he needs to stop letting Jude use him as a shield. Both of us started shedding tears, and when we finished he still said he hopes I\u2019m not here to tell him that I still want Psquare, and I told him I want to move on, because he already has a manager (Jude) and I don\u2019t, so I had to structure myself too. And I didn\u2019t want to allow the Psquare name to fade before moving on. Look at Don Jazzy and Dbanj, when they broke up, they waited for like 6 months and had to start again. Now, that Psquare just broke up, let me use the name to move on quickly, because there\u2019s no time.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><strong>IF OUR MUM WAS STILL ALIVE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2018To be honest with you, I feel if our mum was still alive, we would have pushed her to her grave with this whole thing. It\u2019s really sad that even with everything going on, I still stand with Paul.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><strong>SIGNING SOLO DEALS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2018It still boils down to the fact that Psquare was not structured. Music is like football,<strong>Messi<\/strong> has his manager, <strong>Neymar<\/strong> has his manager, <strong>Suarez<\/strong> has his manager, but when they get to the pitch, they play as a team\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Before I did the Olympic deal, I\u2019d brought some deals for Psquare. The people endorsing Psquare only see Peter and Paul, but behind [the scenes] its Peter, Paul and Jude so the price goes so high that it never works.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018But when a deal comes to my table, it\u2019s not like they called Jude and I went behind to talk to them, the deal came directly to me from Jude\u2019s friend. He called me and told me about it, and before then I had already established my own beverage factory and the deal coming was from PZ, which means I could do more business with them, so should I lose that deal because they didn\u2019t call Jude?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I asked them why me and not Psquare, and they said they couldn\u2019t afford Psquare, and the brand was tailored to fit one person. So I went back to tell Paul and Jude and they didn\u2019t say anything. They didn\u2019t ask me not to do it. Don\u2019t get it wrong, we\u2019ve been doing different private businesses, the only difference was that the Olympic deal came out in public. I\u2019ve been doing mass housing projects on my own, Paul has been doing real estate, Jude has been doing his own thing, he even [set up the] Northside record label, so it\u2019s not like it\u2019s the first thing I\u2019m doing alone. It\u2019s just the first one that went public.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018So even when I decide to open my beverage factory, people will still ask why I am doing it alone without my brother.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><strong>IT\u2019S NOT A PUBLICITY STUNT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2018I hear lot of people think it\u2019s all a stunt, and that\u2019s what I really want to put an end to. It\u2019s not a stunt at all. It has been going on for a while\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u2018When Jude didn\u2019t come to my wedding, people started saying we broke up and then others said it\u2019s a stunt. When Paul posted those lyrics on Instagram people thought it was a stunt too, but the truth is that this is not and has never been a publicity stunt. I am telling you the truth. I am moving on because people are already getting tired of this Psquare brouhaha. Now I have my manager, Olatunde Michaels, and I expect everybody to respect that. I am a family man, a musician, singer and dancer. If I don\u2019t move on, Psquare will collapse and there\u2019ll be nothing left\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Already Paul has done two songs without me but no one is saying anything, he did a song with his artiste \u2018Muno\u2019 with his name as Rudeboy did they feature me? He did a song with Tiwa Savage, did they feature me?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Last week <strong>Yemi Alade<\/strong> sent me her album track list to help her share on Instagram, guess what I saw, she had a song with Psquare that I didn\u2019t even know about. Only Paul did it.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE NEXT LEVEL<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2018Because I announced new management, people feel I\u2019m the one going solo, but Paul has already gone solo. He\u2019s moved on and didn\u2019t need to announce any new management because he still works with Jude, so I had to announce mine and believe it or not, people are booking me for gigs already.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018And guess what, I\u2019ll still perform Psquare songs, nobody can stop me, nobody can stop Paul too, we didn\u2019t have a contract with Jude, so I have the right to perform Psquare songs especially the ones I took part in\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I\u2019ll also consider releasing solo songs and even albums. Truth is \u2013 in the last album Paul did some songs alone, I did some songs alone. \u2018Bring It On\u2019 was Paul alone, \u2018Eje Ajo\u2019, \u2018Shekini\u2019 was done by me alone\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Remember the 4 songs \u2018Free For Fans\u2019 that we released, those songs were removed from the last album and I leaked them\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I have some songwriters already, <strong>V-Tek<\/strong> writes for me, and I\u2019m still bringing up more\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Social media posts today March 19, by Peter and Paul might suggest they\u2019re trying to resolve their issues. In fact, Psquare is being advertised for an upcoming performance. But, as Peter told NET\u00a0on Thursday, it\u2019s now beyond music and management. They\u2019re not likely to live together on the Parkview property, which is nearing completion; and they\u2019ve since shared their other properties (We saw a copy of the contract, showing <strong>Festus Keyamo<\/strong> as their lawyer).<\/p>\n<p>Peter Explains.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Because of what was happening, it was like two against one, so I said let\u2019s share our properties. When I said that, Paul said if we want to share our properties, Jude must get the same share with us otherwise Psquare will split and I was like \u2018SPLIT-AGAIN?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Our lawyer came and told Paul that it\u2019s wrong to share it equally with Jude, but he insisted, so we divided every property we owned in Lagos, Jos, America, Abuja. In-fact the right and left wing of the Square Ville mansion belongs to Paul and Jude now.<\/p>\n<p>So that was how we shared all our properties equally among the three of us about two or three years ago.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018After sharing everything, I called Paul again and spoke to him about a proper structure. We\u2019ve been with people like <strong>Akon<\/strong> and co and we see how it\u2019s done. Right now, Psquare has millions of dollars in royalties hanging in the air.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018All our endorsement and shows are shared equally between the three of us as well.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018After what it took to share our properties, I was embarking on a project, so I needed more money and I wanted to sell my house in America and buy something smaller, because I spend close to $30,000 to maintain that condo every year.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018So I called my caretaker to begin the process and she told Jude and Paul to send their data page and passport photographs, but they refused because they know I wanted to the sell the house. And see the value of dollars now. The house was valued at 100M then, but if I sell it now, I could make extra 250M.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018And we already signed paper works and document of the house that it belongs to me but Jude ignored it, so I called our lawyer,\u00a0<strong>Festus Keyamo<\/strong>\u00a0to inform him about the development. He called them and they both refused to pick his call, so he sent them a text and requested that we should have a meeting, but Jude replied him and said no need for a meeting that the America house will be sold.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Paul said we agreed and signed on how to share but we haven\u2019t really shared it yet, after all Jude is still holding on to the documents.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Three of us have properties close to each other in Parkview and that\u2019s why I want to sell my own and move to Banana Island.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I can\u2019t really understand why they don\u2019t want a structure, to me I think it\u2019s ignorance, and if I decide to do it, it\u2019ll seem like I\u2019m looking for trouble.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Jude, who dissociated himself from Psquare in a social media post <span data-term=\"goog_680323876\">on Thursday<\/span>, hours after our interview with Peter, declined commenting for this story. He told our correspondent \u2018I\u2019m sorry I can\u2019t talk about it.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><strong>MY WIFE AND MY MUM<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_336941\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Peter Okoye and his wife, Lola Omotayo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2018People think we changed when we started having wives. Before my mum died, she was at St Nicholas hospital on the island, and my sisters were living in this house (in Lekki), and every morning before my wife goes to work, she\u2019ll leave home at\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_680323877\">5am<\/span>\u00a0in the morning to go and stay with my mum even before we get there ourselves. And when she closes from work, she\u2019s back with her again.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018So I just laugh when I hear people say my mum didn\u2019t like my wife. It\u2019s my wife and sister that prepare my mum\u2019s meals in the kitchen.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Now let me shock you: our wives, the three of them are the closest set of people you can imagine. Even with all that\u2019s going on. It\u2019s really surprising. Somehow, they respect themselves and stayed out of the whole drama and I respect them a lot. And that\u2019s somehow what has kept us together for this long, otherwise Psquare would have ended like two or three years back.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0WHY CYNTHIA MORGAN WON\u2019T GET A PSQUARE COLLABO<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2018When I set up P-Classic records because people were saying Psquare haven\u2019t helped anyone, I saw the success of Tiwa Savage and I was close to signing <strong>Cynthia <\/strong><strong>Morgan<\/strong> and <strong>Simi<\/strong>. Ask them they\u2019ll tell you.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I remember Paul came to the studio and said he heard I\u2019m signing Simi and Cynthia, I said \u2018Yes\u2019, and he was like \u2018What will people see Jude as\u2019, and I gave him example of Drake and Young Money, Cash money.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018<strong>Oscar<\/strong> (Producer of \u2018Collabo\u2019 ft. Don Jazzy) called to tell me that they can\u2019t sign the deal, because he heard it\u2019s causing problem in Psquare. Meanwhile Cynthia and Simi were both going through the contracts I gave them only for them to return it\u00a0<span data-term=\"goog_680323878\">two days later<\/span>\u00a0that they can\u2019t do it.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Two weeks after, I was shocked to hear that Jude had signed Cynthia Morgan, and she knows deep down that she\u2019s never going to get a Psquare collabo.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><strong>CONCLUSION<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>http:\/\/thenet.ng\/<a href=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Paul-and-Peter.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-8326\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-8326\" src=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Paul-and-Peter.jpg\" alt=\"Paul and Peter\" width=\"279\" height=\"181\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>THENETNG\u00a0spent some time with him in his\u00a0Lekki-home on Thursday, March 17, having been invited by his new manager,\u00a0Olatunde Michaels of Play Centre. When we arrive, he\u2019s sitting in the living room, with a young assistant keeping him company. He\u2019s dressed casually, in a patterned T-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. \u2018How now\u2019? \u2018I\u2019m [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[1645],"class_list":["post-8325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-psquare"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Paul-and-Peter.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4oswh-2ah","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8325"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8327,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8325\/revisions\/8327"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}