Former legal counsel to Jude Okoye, Inibehe Effiong, has accused Peter Okoye of attempting to influence public opinion over the ongoing legal dispute involving the former manager of the defunct music duo, Psquare.
Effiong made the remarks in a statement shared on his official X account while reacting to Peter Okoye’s recent social media allegations concerning Jude’s management of Psquare’s finances and business affairs.
The lawyer, who disclosed that his firm initially represented Jude Okoye, claimed Peter’s public statements differ from the evidence he has given under cross-examination in court.
“Our firm started the legal defence of Jude Okoye. We filed applications for his bail both at the Federal High Court and at the High Court of Lagos State. A Senior Advocate of Nigeria later took over the case and continued from where I stopped,” Effiong stated.
Effiong stressed that Jude Okoye has not been convicted of any criminal offence and remains entitled to the constitutional presumption of innocence.
“Jude hasn’t been convicted of any crime by any court of law. We should afford him his constitutional right to the presumption of innocence,” he said.
The human rights lawyer also defended the bail conditions granted to Jude, noting that standard requirements such as the submission of travel documents should not be interpreted as proof of guilt.
He criticised Peter Okoye for continuing to comment publicly on the case while it remains before the courts.
“It is baffling that Peter, who is the nominal complainant in the two cases, has resorted to social media trial while the cases are pending before courts of competent jurisdiction,” he said.
Effiong further alleged that Peter’s online claims contradict admissions he has made while testifying in court.
“What Peter is saying online differs from the verifiable admissions he has been making under cross-examination in court. He knows exactly what he is doing,” he added.
He urged the singer to focus on presenting evidence before the court rather than pursuing the matter on social media.
“He should focus his energy on testifying in court to support the charges against Jude, instead of resorting to media trial. The cases are in court; we should let the court decide the guilt or innocence of the defendant,” Effiong said.
The legal dispute between the Okoye brothers remains before the courts, with both parties continuing to publicly defend their positions while awaiting judicial determination.
