Paul Okoye, known as Rudeboy, has officially announced the dissolution of the music duo PSquare for the second time.
In an interview with City FM Lagos on Thursday, Rudeboy recounted the internal conflicts that led to the breakup, revealing the tension between him and his twin brother, Peter Okoye.
Initially, the twins split in 2017 but reunited in 2021, much to the delight of their fans. However, disagreements over music revenue soon fractured the partnership again.
MUK TV reports that Peter was furious upon discovering that he had been shortchanged on royalties by Paul and their elder brother, Jude Okoye.
In response, Peter filed a petition with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Paul and Jude. Paul recalled, “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.’”
Paul noted that the commission scrutinized his financial records, making him uneasy. “They printed my bank statement. There were some questions they started asking me, and I wasn’t comfortable,” he said.
A month ago, Paul, Peter, and Jude were summoned by the EFCC to clarify their arrest.
Paul recounted, “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.’”
Despite being proven innocent, Paul expressed his disappointment that Peter “didn’t apologize for the false accusations.”
When asked about the future of PSquare, Paul stated, “No, PSquare 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 public perceptions regarding their elder brother Jude’s involvement. “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 told Peter, “You (Mr. P) have started singing, and because I don’t want us to lose that PSquare 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.”
Despite his efforts, Paul’s attempts to preserve PSquare were in vain.
He shared his frustration over the confusion among fans, saying, “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.”
