Brownhill Investments Company Limited, the organizers of the annual “Warri Again Concert,” revealed in court that Nigerian singer David Adeleke, known as Davido, personally requested to perform at the mega event after meeting the company’s chairman, Amaju Pinnick, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
In court documents obtained by SaharaReporters, the company stated that Pinnick was initially “hesitant” to grant Davido the contract due to previous disappointments on two occasions.
Despite this, the singer signed all agreement papers, insisting on full payment, and the Performance agreement was officially sealed on March 30, 2023.
Contrary to the agreement, the company claimed that Davido chose to perform at another event scheduled for the same date at “Lux Nightclub, Melbourne, 373 Chapel St. South Yarra, Australia.”
The claimant, represented by Kelechi Onwuegbuchulem, is now seeking N2 billion in general damages from Davido and his music company, Davido Music Worldwide Limited, as reported by SaharaReporters on November 1.
Earlier, on October 7, SaharaReporters had covered Davido’s response to Pinnick’s accusation of the singer refusing to perform at the Warri event, despite allegedly being paid $94,600. Pinnick had accused Davido of failing to honor the contract, leading to the legal dispute unfolding in the Delta High Court sitting in Effurun.
The court documents read,
“THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE PARTIES; The Claimant avers that sometime in early 2023 the Ist Defendant approached its Chairman, Mr Amaju Pinnick, when they met at the Abuja Airport, to engage his (1 Defendant’s) services for the 19th Edition of the “Warri Again” event held on 6th October, 2023.
“The Claimant avers that its Chairman was hesitant to engage the services of the I” Defendant for the event as the I” Defendant had disappointed him on two previous occasions, the 2014 and 2019 editions of Warri Again, where he did not show up to perform after he had been paid for the events and he was compelled to make refunds thereafter.
“The Claimant believing that the I” Defendant had turned a new leaf, entered into a performance agreement with the Defendants, for the I” Defendant to perform as the headline artiste at the 19th Edition of Warri Again slated to hold on the 6th of October, 2023 in Warri, Delta State. Performance Agreement dated 30th March, 2023 is hereby pleaded and shall be relied on at trial.”
“The Agreed fee for the I” Defendant’s performance was N=70,000,000.00 (Seventy Million Naira), which the Defendants insisted must be paid in full at the time, in order to secure the I” Defendant’s performance at the event on the 6th of October, 2023. The Claimant avers that thereafter, the sum of $94,500.00 (USD equivalent of =N=70,000,000.00) was paid on the 6th of April, 2023 and same was duly acknowledged by the Defendants. Proof of Receipt of Funds dated 6th April, 2023 is hereby pleaded and shall be relied on at trial.
“After payment was made and confirmed, the I” Defendant did a promotional video for the 19th Edition of the Event slated to hold on the 6th of October, 2023 in Warri, Delta State, Nigeria, wherein he confirmed his attendance and live performance in Warri on the 6th of October, 2023.
“Ist Defendant’s Promotional video for “Warri Again” event slated for 6th October, 2023 in Warri, Delta State, is hereby pleaded and shall be relied on at trial. Thereafter, the Claimant set in motion all promotional and advertorial machinery for the Event, projecting the Ist Defendant as the headline performer at the event slated for the 6th of October, 2023 in Warri, Delta State. The Claimant expended humongous resources on print and social media adverts and promotion for the event.
“The Claimant avers that on the 29th of September2023, precisely a week to the slated date of the Event, a formal letter of reminder was sent to the I” Defendant in respect of the Event scheduled for 6th October2023. Letter of Reminder dated 29th September, 2023 is hereby pleaded and shall be relied on at trial.
“The said Letter of Reminder also contained flight itinerary of the private jet chartered to personally convey the I” Defendant and his team to and from Warri, Delta State for the “Warri Again” Event, on the 6th of October2023. The Claimant incurred his Instagram, Snapchat and X [Formerly known as Twitter], about the Claimant’s Chairman.
“The Ist Defendant made a false post on his Instagram Story, stating that he had informed the Claimant months ago of his inability to attend and perform at the Claimant’s Event, held in Warri on 6th October, 2023. However, this is very false as the Claimant would not have needed to send the 1st Defendant the Letter of Reminder on the 29th of September, 2023 and incur additional expenses of $18,000.00 to charter the private jet that was made to wait all day on the 6th of October, 2023 to convey the Ist Defendant to Warri. The Defendants never replied the Letter of Reminder sent to them on 29th September, 2023.
“Screenshot of the 1st Defendant’s false post stating that he communicated his nonperformance on 6th October, 2023, is hereby pleaded and shall be relied on at trial.
“The Claimant avers that at no point in time did the Defendants communicate or relate to the Claimant that the 1st Defendant would not attend and no longer perform at the “Warri Again” event on the 6th of October, in Warri, Delta State.
“The Defendants did not communicate to the Claimant, that the Ist Defendant would not be able to perform at the event on the 6th of October, 2023 and no refund of the performance fee was made to the Claimant.
“The Claimant avers that it later discovered that, the Ist Defendant despite collecting payment of the sum of $94,500 from it and compelling it to incur additional expenses of $18,000 for a Private jet to take the 1st Defendant to Warri, had also collected another payment in respect of an event slated for the same date at Lux Nightclub, Melbourne, 373 Chapel St. South Yarra, Australia. An event which Is Defendant eventually performed at while ignoring the Claimant’s “Warri Again” event. Poster of Ist Defendant’s Australia event on 6th October, 2023 is hereby pleaded and shall be relied on at trial.”
| Sahara Reporters
