Peter Okoye Breaks Silence After Backlash, Fires Back at Brother Rudeboy
By Admin, Lagos
Nigerian music star Peter Okoye, popularly known as Mr P, has apologised for his controversial remarks about Nigerian languages following widespread criticism on social media, insisting that his comments were misinterpreted and never intended to belittle the country’s cultural heritage.
The singer came under fire after replying to a social media user who questioned whether his children, who are fluent in French, could also speak Igbo.
In his response, Mr P asked, “Who Naija language help?”—a statement that triggered heated reactions online.
In a statement posted on his X account on Wednesday, the former P-Square member acknowledged that his words offended many people and expressed regret over the controversy.
”I apologise to everyone who was hurt by my comment. I take full responsibility for my words, but that should not be interpreted to mean that I dislike Nigerian languages or our culture,” he said.
Mr P explained that the discussion began from an innocent post celebrating his children’s ability to speak French, which prompted him to mention the possibility of buying a house in Paris.
He maintained that he never targeted the Igbo language or culture, stressing that his comment referred generally to Nigeria’s numerous indigenous languages.
According to him, some people deliberately misrepresented his statement to suggest that he was attacking the Igbo language, an interpretation he described as false.
The singer also accused his twin brother and former music partner, Paul Okoye, popularly known as Rudeboy, of taking advantage of the situation to damage his reputation.
Mr P alleged that Rudeboy deliberately distorted his comments and had consistently used public controversies involving him as opportunities to criticise him.
He said he had tolerated such actions for years but was no longer willing to remain silent whenever he became the target of public attacks.
According to the singer, Rudeboy had previously ridiculed him over issues unrelated to the latest controversy, including comments about his dancing, adding that he believes his brother constantly looks for opportunities to discredit him.
Declaring a change in his approach, Mr P stated that he would no longer ignore repeated attacks, ending his message with the phrase, “It’s aura for aura, Egusi for Egusi, Oha for Oha.”