Since Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey aired on March 7, 2021, Nigerians have been comparing their marriage to that of Peter Okoye and Lola Omotayo. In the interview, Meghan recounted going through hell with the British Royal Family in Buckingham Palace.
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Nigerians have found similarities between the story and that of Peter Okoye and Lola Omotayo. Referring to them as the Duke and Duchess of Awka, Peter Okoye is being applauded for standing up for his wife years back over constant disrespect from his family. Recall that 4 years ago, Peter Okoye left the Psquare group, which he founded with his twin brother, Paul Okoye, over issues related to his wife. Since that time, he has also not been speaking to his family despite calls from fans for them to unite. Like Meghan, certain people still blame Lola, his wife, for breaking up the Okoye family, but Peter has stood his ground that he will never go back on his vows to love and protect her even if that costs him his family.
Nonetheless, many other Nigerians have now concluded that the singer is the real model for Igbo men and has done more for his wife than Prince Harry did for Meghan. Is this true? How is Peter Okoye’s marriage similar to Prince Harry and Meghan’s relationship? Is there still hope that Psquare will ever come back? How are Peter and Paul Okoye doing apart?
Peter Okoye Lola Omotayo
Peter Okoye of the defunct singing group, Psquare, got married to the love of his life, Lola Omotayo in a much-publicized wedding in November 2013. According to Peter, who is now professionally known as Mr P, he had nothing when he met Lola, and he was a gold digger at the time. But despite this, she has stuck with him through thick and thin. They have now been married for 7 years, and even after these many years, they still have sweet words for each other. Sadly, while their marriage which is blessed with two beautiful children, Cameron and Aliona, is said to be one of the happiest among celebrities, they have had to pay a costly prize to make that happen, especially Peter Okoye. The singer was forced to turn his back on his family, twin brother, and then-thriving career as a Psquare group member to keep his marriage intact and his wife happy.
PSquare History
Psquare Is the music group, Peter Okoye and his identical twin brother. Paul Okoye founded as far back as 2003. This was just two years after they won the Grab Day Mic competition in 2001. They kick-started their career with many bangers, including Omoge Mi, Busy Body, Chop my money, personally, Beautiful Onyinye, Do me, E No Easy, Temptation, Roll It, and the list goes on. They were the rave of the moment for years and won several top awards for their musical creativity. The twin brothers were also known for being a perfect group as while Paul was known as the better songwriter, Peter was known as the better dancer. Back then, it was obvious that Psquare was Peters’s baby, but when he was forced to choose between his wife and his stand in the music group, he picked his wife.
At first, there were reports that Psquare had split in 2016. However, they used the best PR tactics to cover it up. But in 2017, Peter couldn’t take it any more and broke things off with the group. He took to Twitter to shade his twin brother and Jude, his elder brother, who at the time was their manager. A viral video of the twins almost exchanging blows also made it to the Twitter trend table. In the video, Jude could be heard saying he will buy Peters’s coffin while he and Paul threatened to beat him. Before we knew it, Peter contacted their lawyer, Festus Keyamo, to write a letter terminating the partnership agreement between him and his brother, Paul.
Why They Split
According to Peter, he had issues with his brothers before that video of them quarrelling went viral because they had been relegating him in the music group. He said Paul was getting more promotions than him, and they always went behind his back to cancel potential collaborations with other artists. He also said his singing skill was not fully utilized in the group, and he hated the fact that his twin lies that he writes all the songs for the group. Peter further noted that he would have continued with the group except that after he got married to his wife, Lola, things only became worse. Lola is Yoruba, and the Okoye’s Igbos were not too pleased to marry a woman from another tribe. He said they would disrespect his wife in public and expect him to perform on stage as if nothing happened.
In a 2018 interview with Citizen TV in Kenya, Peter Said, “I don’t disrespect my brother’s wife neither his family, but he does that to me all the time. He’ll insult my family and me in public, on Instagram, and the next minute he’ll wait for me backstage for us to perform together.” The singer said he finally pulled the plug because he felt the disrespect coming from his family was getting too much. He said, “I can’t do that. One thing is for sure. I took a vow to protect my wife and kids the day I got married, and I stick to that.”
How is their Marriage Similar to Harry and Meghan’s?
In so many ways, Peter and Lola Okoye’s marriage is similar to Prince Harry and Meghan’s marriage.
Tribe
While Meghan was disrespected over her race as a Black-American woman with European roots, Lola was continually disrespected by the Okoye’s because of her tribe as a Yoruba woman.
Age Differences
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry also have an unexpected age difference between them. Commonly, the husband is expected to be the older one but not with Meghan and Harry. 39 years old Meghan Markle is three years older than 36 years old Prince Harry. Many of their haters have used this age difference between them to vilify Meghan, who they think is controlling Harry. According to them, Meghan is more experienced and has the upper hand in the relationship due to her age. It is the same with Peter and his wife. Lola Okoye is 46 years of age and 7 years older than Peter Okoye, who is 39. Many Nigerian have used this fact to vilify her and her stand in the marriage.
Manipulative Accusations
It’s no longer news that many call Meghan Markle a manipulative person and narcissist who has managed to break Harry’s bond with his family. It is the same with Lola as well. When news of P-square breakup broke out, many people blamed her for coming between the brothers. Even recently, Paul called out Lola for being manipulative. This comes after Lola took to social media to celebrate Peter and Paul Okoye on their November 18, 2020, birthday while calling for them to unite again. Paul Okoye, who is professionally known as Rude Boy, responded by saying that even at the age of almost 50, Lola is still as manipulative, controlling, and evil as ever.
Can Psquare Come Back?
During a 2018 interview with Citizen TV, Peter confirmed that Psquare can still come together but on the condition that his twin and family respect his wife 100 per cent. He said, “In this life, what we call family value is important. There is something we call marginalization. Don’t ever be a slave because you want to be a family.” Two years after he made this statement, Peter is still keeping the same energy. He said he is still not speaking with his brother in a recent interview, but he wishes him all the best. He then added, “If they really have any problem with me, it’s fine. I’m living my life!” When he was trending following Meghan and Harry’s interview, the ‘Cool it down ’crooner affirmed that his wife and kids come first before his twin brother or other families.
Paul, on the other hand, expressed his unwillingness to unite with his twin. In a recent interview, he said when asked if they will unite again, “…the way it is for me now, no way.” That’s all the confirmation we need. It is no wonder he was noticeably missing during his twin brother’s wife’s father’s burial in February 2021.
Current Situation
Like the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who has alienated their family members to keep their wedding vows, our Awka version of them, Peter and Lola Okoye, also believe that even if blood is thicker than water, it can also be diluted. Peter has continued pursuing his music career under the name Mr. P, and Paul Okoye is doing the same under the name Rude Boy. They have both released singles and albums under their new name, among which are hit songs.
Fans, however, are not pleased with this, they believe their music sounded better together, and during their 39th birthday on November 18, 2020, they called for them to unite. Celebrities who attended the separate birthday parties they organized were also blasted for encouraging the disunity between them.
Despite the ongoing war between their husbands, Lola and Anita Okoye — Paul’s wife is not at war. Reports say that Lola was among the guest that graced the opening ceremony of Anita’s Kids Store in Lekki months back.
What about Lola and Peter Okoye’s marriage? The marriage is obviously waxing stronger. Every year, the lovely couple celebrate their wedding anniversary on social media with sweet words. On their 7th wedding anniversary, which falls on November 17, 2020, Lola shared cute throwback pictures of them together and boldly declared her love for her husband, Peter Okoye.
Do you agree that Lola and Peter’s marriage is similar to Prince Harry’s and Meghan’s marriage?
Do you think Peter Okoye did the right thing choosing his wife over his family?
