Afrobeat musician and son of legendary Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Seun Kuti, has apologised to Chief Bolaji Ayorinde SAN over a defamatory statement he made against the senior lawyer.

Seun had in a video on social media alleged that Ayorinde intentionally passed information to Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) while representing Nigeria in the arbitration proceedings over a disputed gas contract.

The afrobeat musician had also vowed that he was ready to meet Ayorinde in court over the controversy surrounding the P&ID gas processing contract case.

Following this, the senior lawyer slammed the popular afrobeat musician with a libel and defamation of character lawsuit before an Oyo State High Court sitting at Ibadan.

However, at the hearing of the suit on April 18, 2024, parties informed the court that they had amicably resolved the matter. They urged the court to adopt their terms of settlement dated 15/4/2024 and filed the same date as the judgment of the court.

Consequently, Justice Kamorudeen Olawoyin adopted the terms of settlement as the judgment of the court.

The court said: “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 settlement as the judgment of the court.”

In the terms of settlement seen by CITY LAWYER, Seun stated that his statements made and published on his Instagram handle @bigbirdkuti on October 31, 2023, against Ayorinde were untrue and stood retracted.

He stated: “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 added: “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.”

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