As much as 9ice’s estranged wife, Toni Payne, had earlier in
the week, blamed her ex husband’s former publicist, Adekunle
Ayeni, for being instrumental to the break-up of their marriage,
the singer doesn’t seem to agree with his ex wife.
In a recent chat with Saturday Beats , 9ice said Ayeni is not a
home breaker.
“I saw the report that my ex-wife, Toni Payne, blamed my
former publicist, Ayeni Adekunle, for our marriage failure. Ayeni
did not break my marriage with Toni Payne. He was acting
based on my instructions at the time. I don’t think he should
be brought into this matter. I have since apologised to my ex-
wife and the public for what transpired six years ago and I
have been forgiven by all parties. I really wish this incident
doesn’t linger further because I have since moved on and I
beg all parties involved to do the same. I am being careful
and would not want to comment much on the issue of my
previous marriage so that the matter would not escalate
further than this. Once again, I would really appreciate it if all
parties forget the past and forge ahead as there is still so
much we can achieve through peace, love and happiness,” he
said.
When asked if there is any possibility of getting back with his
ex-wife, the singer made it known that both parties have
since moved on but they have remained friends.
“There was never a time we planned on getting back together.
We had a mutual agreement to go our separate ways and we
have maintained a cordial relationship ever since; most
especially because of our son, Zion,” 9ice said.
9ice’s view is a complete opposite of what Payne had said
earlier in the week in an interview with a Lagos-based radio
station where she tagged Ayeni ‘an enemy’.
Payne, who has since relocated to the USA claimed that Ayeni
was the reason behind her collapsed marriage.
She admitted that although she was having problems with her
marriage at that time, a press release issued by Ayeni broke
the camel’s back and led to the eventual collapse of the
marriage.
“When it all started, I felt the rumour could have been killed
faster with social media because that’s how it was spreading.
At that point, I approached 9ice’s then publicist, Ayeni. I don’t
want to call anybody my enemy, but I consider him an enemy
because I see him as someone who started something and
didn’t finish it. Back then, when they put out their little press
release talking about me and 9ice splitting up, I warned them
not to put it out and that if there’s anything happening
internally, we should resolve it internally; putting it out there
gives the public the right to put their mouths on it. But Ayeni
convinced 9ice that he had to put it out, all because he
wanted to sell a newspaper he started.
“They went ahead and put out the release behind my back
anyway. I was sitting down at a restaurant with my friend
when we started getting messages that I was in the news, so
I called Ayeni and told him that since they started the
rumours, he should please fix it. All he said was ‘madam we’ll
do it.’ But he never did. I expected him to use the same
enthusiasm they used in releasing the first news to also kill it.
But they never did,” she said.
When Saturday Beats reached Ayeni via the telephone, he
declined to comment on the issue.
SOURCE: SATURDAY PUNCH
