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Seun Kuti, afrobeat musician and son of legendary Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, has tendered an unreserved apology to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, over a defamatory and libellous statement made against the senior lawyer.
Seun had, in a video on social media, insinuated that Chief Ayorinde intentionally passed information to P&ID while representing Nigeria during arbitration proceedings over their disputed gas contract.
The afrobeat musician also said he was battle-ready to meet Ayorinde in court over the controversy surrounding the Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) gas processing contract case.
Following this, Seun was slammed with a libel and defamation of character lawsuit by Ayorinde before the High Court of Oyo State, Ibadan.
However, at the hearing of the suit on April 18, 2024, the parties informed the court that they had met and adopted the Terms of Settlement dated April 15, 2024 and filed the same date.
They urged the court to adopt the Terms of Settlement as the judgment of the court.
Consequently, the court, presided over by Justice K. B. Olawoyin, adopted the term of settlement as the judgment of the court.
The court held: “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.”
In the Term of Settlement, Seun stated unequivocally that his statements made and published on his Instagram Handle @bigbirdkuti on October 31, 2023, against Chief Ayorinde, were not true and unfounded and stand retracted
He said: "It is not true that the Claimant (Chief Bolaji 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 a 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 $197m for a case in which the Claimant intentionally sabotaged his Country, Nigeria.”
Kuti in his defence before the judge posited that “Having now conceded that my allegations are untrue and unfounded and that I have unjustifiably impeached the character and reputation of Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, SAN, I hereby publicly recant and retract my aforesaid untrue imputations against Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, SAN, which stood to damage the hard-earned good name and goodwill of Chief Bolaji Ayorinde’s character.
“That the Claimant shall not pursue his claims in this suit or any other claims/complaints he may have against the Defendant before any Agency or Authority of Government or initiated same afresh against the Defendant except there is a repeat of the defamatory statement in question here in any form or similitude whatsoever by the Defendant against the Claimant.”
The parties equally agreed that each should bear its respective costs in the suit and that the Terms be entered as the judgment of the court in the case.
The Terms of Settlement were duly signed by the Claimant, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, SAN, and his lead Counsel, Clement Onwuenwunor, SAN, in the presence of Emmanuel Elijah, Legal Practitioner and the Defendant, Seun Kuti and his lead Counsel, Adesina Ogunlana.
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