Court Adopts Terms Of Settlement As Seun Kuti Apologizes To Bolaji Ayorinde, SAN, Over Defamatory P&ID Statements
Afrobeat musician and son of legendary Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Seun Kuti, has apologised to Bolaji Ayorinde, over a defamatory and libellous statement he made against the senior lawyer.
Seun had, in a video on social media, insinuated that Ayorinde intentionally passed information to Process and Industrial Development, 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 P&ID gas processing contract case.
Following this, Seun was slammed with a libel and defamation of character lawsuit by Ayorinde 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 met and adopted the terms of settlement dated 15/4/2024 and filed the same date.
They urged the court to adopt the terms of settlement as the judgment of the court.
Consequently, Justice K. Olawoyin adopted the term 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 statement as the judgment of the court.”
In the term of statement, 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 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 in his defence before the court, said: “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.”
