Warri Again: Davido met Amaju Pinnick at airport, lobbied to perform but went to Australia instead after receiving full payments – Brownhill tells Court

Brownhill Investments Company Limited, the organizers of the annual “Warri Again Concert” has stated before a Delta High Court sitting in Effurun that Nigerian singer, David Adeleke, met its chairman, Amaju Pinnick, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, where he specially requested to perform at the mega event.

According to the full court documents obtained by SaharaReporters on the ongoing matter, the company said its chairman was “hesitant” to grant David Adeleke, more commonly called Davido, the contract, having disappointed them on two previous occasions.

The company further told the court that the singer signed all the agreement papers after insisting that the monies must be paid in full and the Performance agreement was sealed and dated March 30, 2023.

The company said the singer rather went to another event slated for the same date at “Lux Nightclub, Melbourne, 373 Chapel St. South Yarra, Australia.”

YourCitiNews had on November 1 reported that the claimant, represented by Kelechi Onwuegbuchulem, is demanding that the court gives Davido and his music company, Davido Music Worldwide Limited, N2billion in general damages.

On October 7, Davido replied Pinnick after that the football administrator accused him of refusing to perform at an event in Warri, Delta State, despite being paid $94,600.

Pinnick accused the music megastar of failing to honour a contract after collecting the huge sum.

The court documents read, “THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE PARTIES; The Claimant avers that sometime in early 2023 the 1st Defendant approached its Chairman, Mr Amaju Pinnick, when they met at the Abuja Airport, to engage his (1st 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 1st Defendant for the event as the 1st 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 1st Defendant had turned a new leaf, entered into a performance agreement with the Defendants, for the 1st 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 1st 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 1st 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 1st 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.

“1st 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 1st 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 1st 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 1st 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 1st 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 1st 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 1st 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 1st Defendant eventually performed at while ignoring the Claimant’s “Warri Again” event. Poster of 1st Defendant’s Australia event on 6th October, 2023 is hereby pleaded and shall be relied on at trial.”