9ice to Toni Payne: My ex-publicist didn’t destroy our marriage

9ice has reacted to claims by his ex-wife that his former publicist contributed to their breakup. Speaking to Saturday Beats, he said 

“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.

In an interview  with a Lagos-based radio station ealier in the week,Toni Payne fingered Ayeni as being instrumental to her marriage breakup..She said

 “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.