Image: Peter Okoye — globacomlimited/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0. Slightly sharpened from the original.
Mr P Admits in Court: Jude Sent Six Years of P-Square Royalty Records, But $800k SACEM Cash Stayed with the Artists claims it’s for him and his twin brother Paul Okoye
In a significant development in the long-running Okoye family financial feud, singer Peter Okoye (popularly known as Mr P) of the defunct P-Square duo has admitted before a Federal High Court in Lagos that his elder brother and former manager, Jude Okoye, provided him with six years of the group’s royalty records.
Testifying virtually on Monday, September 21, 2026, before Justice Alexander Owoeye, Peter was under cross-examination by Clement Onwuewunor, SAN, counsel to Jude. The admission came as Jude and his company, Northside Music Limited, continue to face a seven-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged fraud involving ₦1.3 billion and $1 million. Jude has pleaded not guilty.
Peter had earlier claimed it took Jude more than three months to supply the backend royalty records after a 2022 request. Defence counsel put it to him that the request was made on October 16, 2022, and that Jude obtained and forwarded the documents just six days later, on October 22. Peter insisted he had asked earlier in the year, but when pressed for a text message, email or any document supporting that claim, he conceded: “No. I don’t have any and I can’t recall.”
He confirmed receiving the royalty report covering 2016 to 2022, including records linked to Lex Records. The request, he explained, was driven by interest from parties looking to buy the P-Square music catalogue. Peter also acknowledged that Jude had forwarded the account information to him in 2022 and that the EFCC was aware the report had been sent.
The cross-examination then shifted to royalties from the French music-rights organisation SACEM. Peter admitted receiving approximately $800,000 in SACEM payments between 2016 and 2026 for about 10 P-Square songs. He stated clearly that he did not give Jude any share of the money.
“No, the money was for the artists,” Peter told the court when asked if he had informed his brother about the payments. He maintained that the royalties belonged to him and his twin brother, Paul Okoye, as the artistes who composed, wrote and produced the songs. He acknowledged previously paying Jude a quarter of his SACEM share but denied any demand for quarterly payments after their 2022 reconciliation.
Peter further conceded that Jude signed the SACEM contract, though he insisted it was executed by “the team.” On Jude’s status, he was blunt: “Jude is not part of P-Square.” He nonetheless accepted that Jude directed some of the group’s music videos and that their management arrangement ran through Northside Entertainment Limited rather than a personal employment contract.
The case has been adjourned to December 8 and 9, 2026, for further hearing.
The admissions add another layer to the bitter royalty and management dispute that has played out publicly and in court, highlighting deep fractures within one of Nigeria’s most successful music families even years after P-Square’s peak.