So what if I told you Psquare didn't actually break up because of Peter and Paul? For years, people have blamed both brothers for breaking up P-Square, but there was a third person involved, pulling the strings all along.
Now I know what you're thinking. We all saw the brothers constantly fighting on social media and throwing shade at each other. But here's the part no one talks about: behind every Psquare hit, every tour, and every business decision, someone else was making decisions that would soon turn brothers into enemies. When you look at it closely, things start to get so much darker than just sibling rivalry.
And here’s how it all began…
So it’s 1999, and two brothers, obsessed with music, decide to start their own group. Before then, the brothers were part of a group called “Smooth Criminals.” The old group had Peter and Paul Okoye, as well as some of their friends. But now, the brothers had decided to fly solo.
The Okoye brothers were very talented. On one hand, there was Paul, a brilliant songwriter and singer, who was more involved with the creative side of things. On the other hand, Peter was an exceptional dancer who used his tremendous energy to bring songs to life. On their own, the brothers were good, but together, they complemented each other almost perfectly. This balance would be the basis for their success in the coming years, and it didn't take too long for them to impress. In fact, all it took was one music contest.
The brothers gained so much attention with their electrifying dance style that complemented their singing in a unique way that most Nigerians at the time weren’t exactly used to. But it wasn’t until they won the famous “Grab da Mic” talent show that their career really took off. Throughout the competition, P-Square had won the hearts of many Nigerians, as well as some top industry players, including the show sponsors, Benson and Hedges.
So, the competition didn’t just put them on the map; it got them their very first sponsorship deal. And with that kind of backing behind them, they wasted no time dropping their debut album, "Last Nite."
Now Last Nite wasn't like some massive chart-topping album or anything, but here's the thing - it did exactly what it needed to do. It showed everyone what Psquare was all about and the unique style they could bring to the table. Additionally, the album featured some solid hits. Songs like “Senorita” and “Igbedu” became very popular amongst Nigerians. And soon enough, Psquare was making waves all over Nigeria.
And this was down to their unique ability to blend sounds in a way nobody else was doing at the time. They basically took sounds we were hearing from American artists and found a way to make them feel African, make them feel Nigerian, and that separated them from everyone else.
Before Psquare came through, R&B in Nigeria didn't really have that African soul to it. But they changed all of that. They took genres that felt foreign and made them fit our Nigerian reality. And that ownership, that confidence to adapt Western style to our everyday experiences to create good music? Well, that's what made them unstoppable.
By 2005, Psquare had become so successful that they now had their own record label, Square Records. Their second studio album, “Get Squared,” was released around this time, and with the help of popular music marketer Tjoe, it sold over one million copies within just six days of its release. The album had various hit songs like Busy Body, Temptation, and Say Your Love. Hits that many people can still remember even today. With their new album, Psquare went from being upcoming talented artists to great artists. Their unique R&B style helped them make waves all over Nigeria and throughout Africa.
Suddenly, the brothers were getting booked for shows in different parts of Africa, awards were coming in, and most of all, they were making a lot of money.
Now here's where things start getting interesting. Since the brothers owned their own label, they were the ones handling all the money and business decisions. But obviously, they wanted to focus on actually making music, right? So they needed someone they could trust to manage everything else. And that's when Jude stepped in.
Jude Okoye was the oldest of the three brothers. He was a music producer, a businessman, and he had way more experience in the industry than Peter and Paul did at the time. Plus, he was family. Like, who else would you trust with your money if not your own blood? It made perfect sense on paper.
With this setup, it looked like Psquare had the perfect formula. Peter and Paul making hits, and their big brother handling the business side of things. What could possibly go wrong? Well...as it turns out, a lot. But at least it was good for a while.
You see, after the success of “Get Squared,” P-Square had become a continental brand, well-known in Africa for their ability to bring singing and dancing together in a truly interesting way. They also sang with a type of energy that was unmatched by any other duo.
So when they dropped their third album, "Game Over," in 2007, it was everywhere. It had hits on top of hits. "Roll It," "Ifunnaya," and then of course "No One Like You,” which basically became THE wedding song in Nigeria. Literally every wedding reception from 2007 to 2010 had that song on repeat. Then you had "Do Me," which became a club favorite. Like, DJs knew that once they played "Do Me," the dance floor was about to go crazy.
Game Over was the album that proved that P-Square were going to be around for a really long time. It also earned them a couple of awards. Like the MTV Africa Music Awards and the Channel O Music Video Awards in 2008. But the brothers weren't satisfied with just dominating Africa. They wanted more.
They had basically conquered the entire continent at this point, so naturally, they set their eyes on the international scene. Their fourth studio album dropped about two years later, and that's when they really started expanding globally. The album enjoyed huge success and even landed them their first-ever US tour. But it was album number five that really broke them into the international market.
That fifth album opened doors to massive collaborations with artists like Akon and Rick Ross. At this point, everyone could see that Psquare had become a global brand. And Akon? He saw it too. So he did what any smart businessman would do and signed the brothers to his label, "Konvict Muzik." But the brothers didn't stop there. They also locked in a distribution deal with Universal to get their music out to every corner of the world, which was a pretty smart move by the brothers, and it worked almost too well.
By 2014, Psquare was literally rubbing shoulders with the biggest names in the game. Their album "Double Trouble" featured American rapper T.I., Jermaine Jackson, and even choreographer Dave Scott. Songs like "Personally," "Alingo," and "Testimony" were making waves globally - not just in Africa, everywhere.
Once again, the brothers did what they always did - dropped hits after hits. They seemed completely unstoppable at this point. Like, they had this formula for creating songs that fans couldn't get enough of, and it looked like they were just getting started. After "Double Trouble" blew up, global brands started throwing endorsement deals at them left and right. These companies saw how Psquare could pull massive crowds, and they wanted in. The brothers also kicked off their first-ever world tour, performing in different countries across the globe. P-Square had officially become a worldwide phenomenon.
But here's where things get interesting. Right around this time, when everything seemed perfect, cracks were starting to show behind the scenes. Things got so bad between the brothers that Peter and Paul actually got into a physical fight. Like, a real fistfight. After that, Peter packed up his family and moved out of their shared Squareville mansion. To Peter he felt like he was being pushed to the sidelines in Psquare.
From his perspective, Jude was clearly favoring Paul in every decision. Peter felt like he didn’t have that much of a say in how things were run, and that was eating at him. But it wasn't just about business. Peter was also fed up with how his brothers kept disrespecting his wife, Lola.
Now, Lola's story is actually pretty interesting. She was significantly older than Peter, we're talking like 9 years older. They met right after Psquare won "Grab da Mic" back in 2001, and at the time, she was working with a marketing agency connected to Benson & Hedges. Yeah, the same Benson & Hedges that ended up sponsoring Psquare's first album.
Despite the age gap, Peter and Lola just clicked. When he moved to Lagos and was basically starting from scratch, she was there supporting him. They eventually started dating and took it all the way to marriage. However, from day one, his brothers didn’t like Lola.
The age difference was a huge issue for them. They couldn't get past the fact that Lola was older. In their minds, she was this older woman who had lived her life and was now settling down with a much younger guy. They just refused to understand what Peter saw in her. And they weren’t the only ones that didn’t approve of Lola; even their mother, before she passed away, didn't approve of the relationship either. So Peter wasn't just dealing with his brothers' disapproval; he was also going against his late mother's wishes.
It’s interesting to note that what Peter wanted was simply more say in P-Square, and for his brothers to respect his wife the same way they respected Paul’s wife, Anita. While Paul was more of an extended family man, Peter tilted towards his own nuclear family. And can we really blame him? I mean, what’s a man’s primary objective, if not to protect his own family? Ironically, it was Paul and Anita’s marriage that wouldn’t stand the test of time. Peter, on the other hand, still maintains his relationship with his wife, Lola.
Now, what many people fail to acknowledge is Jude’s role in all of this. Jude had been involved in everything from the start of P-square. In fact, you could easily credit him for Paul and Peter’s interest in music early on, as they would follow him to the studio from a young age, when Jude was still trying to become an artist. That’s right, Jude was the first to go into music in the family; he even managed to release one album. But seeing as he wasn’t particularly successful, he moved away from singing and into music production. Jude became a really good videographer, as you’d notice how Psquare’s music videos always had that click, that little something that made you watch with so much interest, yeah, that was Jude.
Jude started as their videographer, producer, director, and soon enough, their manager. He was excellent in the first three roles, but you see that last bit. Well, it wasn’t exactly his forte, as we would see later on. For now, the brothers somehow managed to patch things up after that big fight. They got talking again and even did an interview, where they portrayed the entire episode as a simple sibling fight [snippet of the interview]. And to think most people believed that.
Well, their reunion didn’t last too long. In 2016, the brothers once again entered into another fight. This time, it was way bigger than the last and very messy. Peter went on a massive rant on Twitter, complaining about Jude’s management, and clearly stating that Psquare was Paul and Peter, so it wasn’t compulsory that Jude managed them. This time, it seemed like Peter’s problem was with Jude. But Paul didn’t see it that way; he believed Jude was as instrumental to Psquare as Peter, and he wasn’t going to do Psquare without Jude.
Part of the things that Peter wasn’t comfortable with was the sharing formula. Based on the existing structure, Peter and Paul received a smaller share of the income that Psuqare generated, while Jude received more. To Peter, this made no sense. They were the ones out there performing, entertaining people, so why should Jude whose only job is to manage them and shoot videos receive more than them? Peter made it clear that if Psquare was to continue, it would have to do so without Jude.
Paul, however, saw things differently. He felt that Jude had invested a lot of his time and money to take them to where they are today, and it would’t be fair to just dump him now that they were making so much money. It’s fair to say that Paul was closer to Jude than Peter, and this may have been a driving factor behind some of his actions. As the whole thing lingered on, Paul came out with his own message, a picture that he, Jude, and Peter had taken together, but with one small change - he cropped Peter out of the picture, and replaced him with the image of a studio. It was his way of saying he was with Jude on this.
As time went on, it was looking more likely that this would be the final split. Soon enough, Peter adopted the stage name Mr. P, and Paul went with Rudeboy. As the situation seemed to be getting more and more tense, big industry players had to step in to get Psquare back together. And somehow, it worked. The brothers were back together once again.
But there was still one problem - although the brothers had gotten back together, they had not yet addressed the issues that led to their two public feuds. And in that kind of situation, all that was needed was one wrong word, one misstep, one gesture taken wrongly, and the brothers would be back to fighting each other.
In the meantime, Psquare did what we all knew them for - release hit after hit. They gave us songs like “Nobody Ugly” and “Bank Alert.” The way they sang with so much energy and rhythm would make you think they had resolved all the bad blood between them. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. It didn’t take too long for the brothers to be back at it again.
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This time, everything started with a cryptic post by Paul that seemed to be aimed directly at Peter's wife, Lola. Paul wrote something along the lines of how only a woman can come into a peaceful situation and destroy everything. And that post set everything on fire.
Peter wasn't having any of it. He immediately fired back, accusing Jude of threatening to kill him and even threatening to shoot his wife. According to Peter, this happened right in front of Paul and a former first lady of Cross River State, and all Paul could do was stand and watch what happened.
Throughout all these fights, one name kept coming up over and over again - Jude Okoye. And the question everyone should be asking is this: why was Jude so determined to stay in the picture, even when it was clear he was the main source of conflict between the twins? Did he just love them so much or was there more to his obsession with Psquare?
Peter, sensing the hostile environment within Psquare decided to split from his brother Paul and fully adopt the stage name Mr. P while Paul chose to go with Rudeboy and Jude as his manager. In Peter’s letter, he made it clear that he had tried everything to make it work, but Paul wasn't cooperating. He mentioned how Paul cancelled their US tour without even discussing it with him first. But more than anything, Peter emphasized that he couldn't continue in a situation where his family was being threatened and disrespected. While the split was very disappointing for fans, at least now everyone could move on from the Psquare drama.
Mr. P due to his more commercial appeal bagged a lot of endorsements, including a deal with Merrybet. He also acted in a handful of movies like Geneivive’s Lion Heart and Netflix’s Shanty Town. He however wasn’t as successful as Rudeboy in the music side of things. When it came to pure singing and lyrics, Paul had that edge. Rudeboy continued to release hits after hits. His pen game and his dancing ability complemented each other well, and although he was nowhere near the level of Psquare, he was still doing well himself.
For the first time since the issues started, Jude came out publicly to address the whole situation with Peter. And what he said was shocking. He made a video, explaining how he didn’t understand what Peter had against him. According to him, he had never done anything to Peter to warrant the kind of hate that he had for him. Jude sounded genuinely hurt and confused. He said he hadn't spoken to Peter, hadn't communicated with him, hadn't even seen him by mistake since he split from Psquare in September 2017.
Now, from Jude's perspective, he was the victim here. He felt like he was being kicked out of something he helped build from scratch. But Jude had conveniently failed to address several issues raised by Peter like the money-sharing formula, the alleged favoritism towards Paul's songs, and the disrespect towards Lola. These were real issues that Peter had raised multiple times. Besides, it was a little too late for that.
After the split, the brothers stayed apart for four years. And at that point, it really seemed like P-Square was done forever. But then something unexpected happened. On November 17th, 2021, the three brothers released a video that shocked everyone. They were crying, hugging, and talking almost like old times. They even announced that they had reconciled once again and that P-Square was officially back. Things started looking very real when they released a new single and announced plans for a world tour.
Nobody was excited about their reconciliation or even about their new music. People now seemed focused on the newer artists that were making waves. And despite P-Square trying to reignite the spark, the more they tried, the more they gave off the energy of upcoming artists struggling to get attention, struggling to put out music that people weren’t interested in.
Soon enough, Psquare got the message, and they gradually shifted from releasing new songs to more live stage performances. Their unique stage energy still helped them pull crowds, including a show at the Royal Albert Hall in London. But they weren’t anything close to their peak years. Apparently, their in-fighting had taken its toll, and the brothers had almost become a shell of themselves, with nothing but the name Psquare.
Fast forward to 2024, and rumors of another fight began spreading yet again. In May, Paul got remarried to his girlfriend in Abia State, and Peter was noticeably absent. People immediately began to speculate if the brothers were having one of their episodes again, and they hoped it wasn’t true.
But the rumors were true. The P-Square brothers had fallen out once again. And this time, the situation was much worse than before. Law enforcement agencies got involved. Arrests were being made, and the EFCC was at the center of it all.
Word got out that Peter had facilitated the arrest of his twin brother, Paul, and his elder brother Jude. He accused them of financial crimes and fraud that involved the diversion of funds meant for Psquare into private accounts. Peter claimed that while Jude was managing P-Square, he secretly set up a company called Northside Music Limited.
Now, here’s the thing. Northside Music Limited and Northside Entertainment were two entirely different companies. While they sounded almost similar, Northside Entertainment was the official label that Jude used to manage P-Square. Northside Music, on the other hand, was a company that resembled the former only in name. According to Peter, Jude and his wife were listed as directors of this Northside Music Limited, with his wife owning 80%, while Jude controlled 20%.
Apparently, this company was used to divert P-Square’s royalties and control all the money without Peter’s knowledge. Now, while there’s still no hard evidence, c
But here’s the thing - Peter’s accusations went beyond diverting royalty payments. He also accused Jude of laundering money through Exchange Bureaus and buying some very expensive property.
Since the case involved accusations that Jude may have, in fact, been stealing from Peter and Paul, you would expect Paul to support Peter on this one. But guess what? He stood behind Paul yet again. Jude himself fought back pretty hard. His lawyers tore down Peter’s claims one by one, and eventually managed to secure bail for Jude on a fifty-million-naira bond. His two passports were also seized by the court to prevent him from fleeing.
Yet again, we’re faced with another P-Square family drama. For some reason, the brothers can’t seem to put aside their differences. And now the big question is - who's really to blame here?
Straight away, some would point fingers at Peter. And why not? The minute Peter got married, he started prioritizing his wife and children while forgetting his original family. That he's supposed to carry all his family along, not rubbing it in their faces that his wife and kids are more important than everyone else. Others criticize Peter for constantly running to social media whenever there are issues, getting law enforcement involved, hiring lawyers, involving the police, and the EFCC.
Now, while Peter’s handling of their family crises hasn’t exactly been good. Many people conveniently forget that Jude also had a role to play. He could have unified and united his brothers, but what did he do? He chose a favorite twin, and he refused to step away even when it became clear he was the center of conflict between Paul and Peter.
And what about Paul, who refused to stand with his twin brother? Instead, he chose to stand with Jude, prioritizing extended family loyalty over the P-Square brand itself.
They all played a part in the split, reducing P-Square to a mere relic of the past. And today, the brothers are far from what they could have been, constantly engulfed in family drama.
And fans are left to wonder if things could have ended differently, or maybe it was always meant to end this way.