Paul Okoye, better known by his stage name Rudeboy, has announced the separation of the singing duo PSquare for the second time.
In an interview with City FM Lagos on Thursday, Rudeboy narrated the circumstances leading to the breakup, offering a glimpse into the internal conflicts in the group.
The twins, Paul and Peter Okoye, initially broke up in 2017 but reconciled in 2021, to the delight of their fans.
However, the reunion was short-lived.
Paul revealed that his brother Peter, also known as Mr P, lodged a petition against him and their elder brother, Jude Okoye, with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
He said, “I was invited by the EFCC, and my brother wrote a petition against me and my elder brother. I never thought it would come to this part. I thought it was just music. The next thing, people are telling me, ‘What did you do? Somebody said you’re gonna go to jail, 20 years, they are gonna lock you up.’
He noted that the commission scrutinised his financial records and asked him some questions which made him uneasy
“They printed my bank statement. There were some questions they started asking me, and I wasn’t comfortable,” he said.
Paul recounted a turning point a month ago, when he, Peter, and Jude were summoned by the anti-graft commission to clarify their arrest.
“They called me, my twin brother, and our elder brother, and said, ‘First of all, we have to say that after all investigations, Paul is innocent. Paul is cleared. Everything you accused him of, we have done our investigation, and he’s innocent,’ he said.
He said, “However, even after being proven innocent, Peter “didn’t apologize for the false accusations.”
Asked if PSquare would continue, Paul said, “No, P-Square is no more. Before, I didn’t say anything about it, but something happened that I began to see, and it started picking up. As it is for me now, I’m just focused on Rudeboy.’’
Paul also addressed the public perception of their elder brother Jude’s involvement, saying “The only essential element that’s bringing these problems, in the eyes of the public, they tell you is the elder brother. He’s doing this, he’s doing that. When we came back, he was not even in the picture at all. No manager, no director, nothing. He was still on his own.”
Reflecting on their 2021 reconciliation, Paul recounted his efforts to maintain PSquare’s unique touch,
He said he told Peter that “You (Mr P) have started singing, and because I don’t want us to lose that P-Square touch, I made it clear: if we’re going to do 10 songs, let five come from you and five from me. I don’t need the stress of writing a song and then having you change the goal. Let it remain as it is. Artistes can release five songs or even a ten-track album, and if three of those tracks are hits, it’s a successful album.”
Paul added that his attempts to protect and maintain PSquare were in vain.
He further said, “The new P-Square was more peaceful; there was everything we needed. But I didn’t want the same mistakes to happen again. Suddenly, he (Peter) said he was quitting. He told me to my face that he wanted to quit. I said, ‘Okay, I want to make it public,’ but he refused. When I go solo, people will call me the bad guy. That’s why I need to start speaking out.”
He expressed his frustration over the confusion among fans, adding “I have over 200 songs sitting there and don’t know what to do with them. I’m not condemning anyone, but the fans need to start knowing the truth so they don’t feel confused about what’s going on.”
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