Amaju Pinnick, the former President of the Nigeria Football Federation and the organizer of the annual ‘Warri Again Concert,’ has initiated a N2.3 billion lawsuit in the High Court of Delta State in Effurun against the popular singer David Adedeji Adeleke, also known as Davido. The lawsuit alleges a breach of the agreement/contract between them. The defendants named in the suit are Davido and his music label, Davido Music Worldwide Limited.
The plaintiff, represented by Brownhill Investments Company Limited, and represented by their counsel Kelechi Onwuegbuchulem in suit number EHC/183/2023, is requesting that the court award N2 billion as general damages against Davido. Additionally, the company is seeking N150 million for legal and professional fees and an extra N30 million for the cost of filing the lawsuit. Furthermore, the company is seeking a court order directing the defendants, jointly and/or severally, to issue a public apology on all of the first defendant’s social media accounts/handles and in two national daily newspapers for four consecutive days, directed towards the claimant and attendees.
According to the statement of claim, the company asserts that in early 2023, the first defendant approached its chairman, Amaju Pinnick, during their meeting at the Abuja Airport, to secure his services for the 19th edition of the “Warri Again” event held on October 6, 2023.
The claimant explained that its chairman had reservations about engaging the services of the first defendant for the event due to previous disappointments. The first defendant failed to perform at the 2014 and 2019 editions of “Warri Again” after being paid for the events, leading to refunds being made.
Believing that the first defendant had reformed his ways, the claimant entered into a performance agreement with the defendants, securing Davido as the headline artist for the 19th edition of the Warri Again event scheduled for October 6, 2023, in Warri, Delta State. The Performance Agreement, dated March 30, 2023, stipulated a performance fee of N70 million for Davido, which the defendants insisted be paid in full at the time to secure his appearance at the event.
Subsequently, on April 6, 2023, an amount of US$94,500.00 (equivalent to N70 million) was paid and duly acknowledged by the defendants. Following this payment, Davido created a promotional video for the 19th edition of the event, confirming his attendance and live performance in Warri on October 6, 2023. The claimant initiated an extensive promotional campaign, investing substantial resources in print and social media advertising to showcase Davido as the headline performer at the event.
On September 29, 2023, one week before the event, a formal reminder letter was sent to Davido, accompanied by the private jet flight itinerary chartered to convey him and his team to and from Warri, Delta State, incurring an additional expense of $18,000. Despite various attempts to contact the defendants on October 6, 2023, the claimant was unable to establish communication.
Nonetheless, the claimant kept the chartered private jet on standby at the Lagos airport, anticipating the arrival of Davido and his team. A public notice was issued, affirming that all performance agreements were met, and no communication regarding Davido’s attendance was received from the defendants. During the event, Amaju Pinnick, the claimant’s chairman, had to address and apologize to the attendees for Davido’s non-appearance and performance, citing that all contractual obligations were fulfilled but Davido deliberately refused to perform.
Amaju Pinnick further disclosed on stage that he had arranged for the performance of another artist, Crown Uzama, at an additional and unbudgeted cost to compensate for Davido’s absence. Shortly after, Davido began to use his substantial social media influence to bully Pinnick, posting insulting, defamatory, and threatening remarks on Instagram, Snapchat, and X (formerly known as Twitter) directed at the chairman.
Davido falsely claimed on his Instagram story that he had informed the claimant months ago of his inability to attend and perform at the event, which the claimant denies. They assert that there was no prior communication from the defendants indicating that Davido would not attend or perform at the Warri Again event. The claimant also pointed out that others in the industry have suffered from Davido’s tendency to back out of contracts and commitments after receiving payment.
As a result, Amaju and his company seek a refund of the $94,500 as full payment for engaging Davido’s services. They also request an order for the defendants to issue a public apology on their social media accounts and in two national daily newspapers for four consecutive days. Additionally, they seek an injunction to prevent Davido from performing as a musical artist at any event in Nigeria until he refunds the $94,500.
