Seun Kuti, the Afrobeat musician and son of the legendary Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, has issued a formal apology to Bolaji Ayorinde following defamatory remarks he made against the senior lawyer.
In a video shared on social media, Seun implied that Ayorinde had deliberately leaked information to Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) while representing Nigeria during arbitration proceedings related to their disputed gas contract.
Additionally, Seun declared his readiness to face Ayorinde in court regarding the controversy surrounding the P&ID gas processing contract case.
Consequently, Ayorinde initiated legal action against Seun, filing a lawsuit for libel and defamation of character in an Oyo State High Court in Ibadan. However, during the court hearing on April 18, 2024, both parties informed the court that they had reached a settlement and adopted the terms outlined in a document dated April 15, 2024, which they filed on the same date. They requested the court to recognize the terms of settlement as the official judgment of the court.
In accordance with the agreement reached, Justice K. Olawoyin accepted the terms of settlement as the judgment of the court. The court stated, “In view of the foregoing and in accordance with the expressed desire of the parties in this suit as confirmed by the respective counsel in court, I hereby enter the foregoing terms of statement as the judgment of the court.”
As part of the settlement terms, Seun unequivocally retracted his statements made and published on his Instagram Handle @bigbirdkuti on October 31, 2023, against Chief Ayorinde, acknowledging that they were untrue and unfounded.
The statement also went further to say:
“It is not true that the claimant (Chief Ayorinde SAN) leaked confidential documents to the adverse side in the P & ID Vs. Nigeria arbitration matter or in any way conducted himself in any unethical or corrupt manner in his work as legal Practitioner for Nigeria in the said case.
“It is not true that the claimant deliberately planned with the opponent to lose in the P & ID Vs. Nigeria Arbitration Matter and sabotaged the interests of Nigeria in the case.
“It is not true that the claimant committed Treachery against Nigeria in the said P & ID Vs. Nigeria Arbitration Matter.
“It is not true that the claimant charged $197 million for a case in which the claimant intentionally sabotaged his country, Nigeria.”
Seun in his defence before the court, said: “Having now conceded that my allegations are untrue and unfounded and that I have unjustifiably impeached the character and reputation of Chief Ayorinde, SAN, I hereby publicly recant and retract my aforesaid untrue imputations against Chief Ayorinde, which stood to damage the hard earned good name and good will of Chief Ayorinde’s character.”
