Mr P Apologises Over ‘Naija Language’ Remark, Fires Back at Rudeboy: ‘No More Mr. Nice Guy’

• Singer Peter Okoye, popularly known as Mr P, has apologised for his controversial “Naija language” remark while accusing his twin brother, Rudeboy, of using the backlash to damage his reputation, declaring, “It’s aura for aura.”

Nigerian singer Peter Okoye, popularly known as Mr P, has apologised for his controversial comments about Nigerian languages while taking a swipe at his twin brother, Paul Okoye, aka Rudeboy, over what he described as repeated attempts to tarnish his image.

In a statement shared on his social media page, Mr P admitted that his remarks had offended many Nigerians and accepted responsibility for how they were received.

“If my response to ‘Who Naija language help?’ upset some people, I apologize and take full responsibility for my words. That doesn’t mean I hate Nigerian languages or our culture,” he wrote.

The singer explained that the controversy began after he posted about his children speaking French, joking that he might consider buying a house in Paris.

According to him, the post was misinterpreted, leading many to believe he had insulted the Igbo language and culture.

“It all started from an innocent tweet where I said my kids speak French, and it made me think maybe I should buy a house in Paris. Somehow, that turned into something completely different.

“At no point did I say I hate the Igbo language or Igbo culture. I said ‘Naija language,’ referring to the different languages in Nigeria, but some individuals twisted it and made it seem like I specifically mentioned Igbo. I didn’t.”

While maintaining that his comments had been taken out of context, Mr P said he accepted responsibility for the public reaction.

He, however, accused Rudeboy of exploiting the controversy to turn Nigerians against him.

“But again, bro, you’re at it again, using this moment as another opportunity to pull me down. Just like I wrote in my open letter two years ago, doing everything possible to make people hate me will never work,” he said.

Mr P noted that although he understood why some people criticised his statement, he believed his brother’s response crossed the line.

“Yes, people are dragging me over my statement, and that’s okay. We all have moments where our words can be misunderstood or where we could have expressed ourselves better. I accept that.

“But deliberately twisting my words and using petty tactics to damage my reputation says a lot.”

He further accused Rudeboy of repeatedly throwing subtle jabs at him, recalling previous comments about his age and dancing.

“I don’t know why you look for every opportunity to make derisive comments or jump on the bandwagon whenever I’m being attacked. The other time, you threw shades at me and even age-shamed me for still dancing at my age. Now it’s this again.”

Declaring an end to what he described as his calm approach, Mr P warned that he would now respond in kind.

“At this point, I think it’s only fair I start giving the same energy I receive. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

“It’s aura for aura, Egusi for Egusi, Oha for Oha.”

The statement comes days after Rudeboy publicly celebrated Igbo culture, declaring that he was “nobody” without his native language, a post widely interpreted by fans as a response to Mr P’s controversial remarks about Nigerian languages.