Peter Okoye, one-half of the renowned Nigerian music duo P-Square, has publicly responded to his brother Paul’s recent claims that he was responsible for writing and singing 99% of the group’s songs.
In a heartfelt and pointed open letter posted on X.com, Peter expressed his disappointment and frustration over what he sees as Paul’s continuous efforts to discredit his contributions to the group they both created.
Peter, who now performs under the stage name Mr. P, took to social media on Monday to address the issue, listing several hit songs he had written, such as “Ejeajo,” “Get-Squared,” “Bizzy Body,” and “Personally,” which he feels Paul has deliberately overlooked.
“My dear brother Paul. Just like I have told you several times, I am not in any competition with you or anybody else. However, seeing you grant countless interviews where you constantly discredit my efforts in the group that we both created and built together really speaks volumes,” Peter began
In his letter, Peter recounted how Paul had recently downplayed the success of the song “Ejeajo,” which Peter wrote, dismissing it as a failure by citing its YouTube views.
He also noted how Paul failed to acknowledge the success of other songs Peter had a hand in creating. “You never acknowledged the 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. Were these songs also considered failures as well?” Peter questioned.
Peter accused Paul of always using “I” and “me” in interviews, which he believes paints a false narrative that Paul was the sole talent behind P-Square.
“Every time I have spoken in interviews about P-Square, I have always used ‘we’ and ‘us’ because I saw us as a team. But whenever you speak, it’s always ‘I’ and ‘me,’ even when I’m standing right beside you. It’s as if I never existed,” Peter lamented.
He further emphasized that the success of P-Square was due to their combined efforts, not just one person’s talent.
“One thing you need to understand clearly is that the fans didn’t fall in love with P-Square because of who sang or danced the most. What made us special was the magic that came from our combined effort – us two! P-Square was a force, and the fans fell in love with P-Square because of our uniqueness and unity.”
Peter also reflected on the group’s breakup, expressing regret over their current situation.
“My brother, neither of us is the most talented artist in the world, but you fail to understand that God gave us this talent and even granted us another chance to excel after our last breakup. Instead, you chose to turn the most awarded and decorated music group in Africa into a laughingstock again.”
In his closing remarks, Peter questioned Paul’s motives for constantly belittling him and trying to turn fans against him.
“I often find myself wondering, what do you truly gain by constantly disrespecting and belittling me all the time. You have disrespected my wife, disrespected my family, disrespected my talent, disrespected my ideas, and even sided with Jude when he was clearly trying to oppress me. Now, it feels like you have taken it even further by trying so hard to turn the fans against me by making them believe I’m jealous of you.”
Despite the tension between them, Peter wished Paul well and expressed a desire for them to work together again to reclaim their position as Africa’s top music group.
“I hope you are happy now. I genuinely wish you nothing but the best, bro!” Peter wrote.