Afrobeat musician Seun Kuti has apologized and retracted defamatory statements he made against senior lawyer, Bolaji Ayorinde, over the P&ID gas contract controversy. Seun had accused Ayorinde of intentionally passing confidential information to P&ID and sabotaging Nigeria’s interests in the arbitration proceedings.
Ayorinde subsequently sued Seun for libel and defamation, and the case was heard at an Oyo State High Court in Ibadan. However, the parties reached a settlement, and Seun retracted his statements, admitting they were untrue and unfounded.
In a statement adopted by the court as judgment, Seun acknowledged that Ayorinde did not leak confidential documents or conduct himself unethically in the P&ID case. He also retracted allegations of treachery and sabotage against Nigeria.
Seun publicly recanted his statements, conceding that they damaged Ayorinde’s good name and reputation. The court adopted the terms of settlement as its judgment, bringing the case to a close.