Its six years since the marriage between Nigerian singer, 9ice and his
wife Toni Payne packed up. Ms Payne, who has moved back to the US, has
opened up like never before in a phone-in interview with Gloria Maduka
and Terrel of Inspiration FM, Lagos, and she inadvertently revealed
another angle to the saga.
NET confirmed, that Toni called in on the Lunch Time show, from
California and alleged that the wedding separation press release sent
out by 9ice’s publicist at the time, Ayeni Adekunle started the rumour.
Reacting to how she felt when the rumours of her alleged affair with
Ruggedman broke out courtesy of 9ice’s controversial song ‘Once Beaten
Twice Shy‘, Toni Payne said, ‘It started out really annoying, then it
went from annoying to frustrating, because if you listen to the song
carefully you can tell that it’s not me he described in the song
(smiles). It felt like a horrible dream and it kept growing and people
were actually taking it seriously’.
‘When it all started I felt the rumour could have been killed faster
with the social media because that’s how it was spreading. At that
point, I approached 9ice’s publicist then, 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. I told them
that if there’s anything happening internally, we should resolve it
internally, that putting it out there gives the public the right to
interfere. But Ayeni convinced 9ice that he had to put it out, all
because he wanted to sell his Website. That was when he started the
website.
‘But they went ahead and put out the release behind my back. I was
sitting down at this restaurant with my friend when we started getting
messages about me doing this and that. I called Ayeni and was like, you
guys started this rumours, please fix it, and he was like madam, we’ll
do it and he never did.
‘I expected him to use the same enthusiasm they used in releasing the
first news to also use in killing it, but they never did, instead he
continued to use it to promote his Paper. But today, where’s the paper?
They ended packing up and I’ve said it, that every single person that
felt they were profiting from the rumours back then, will be caught by
God, one by one, and that’s what has happened and is happening’.
Asked if she can truly forgive 9ice, Payne says, “I am a very vocal
person, when I took to my website to write that open letter, I did it
really and truly because I’m done with that saga and another reason was
to encourage people in similar situations. It’s the best thing to do.’
She however confirmed that she would not be getting back to 9ice. ‘No I’m not. I’m definitely not going back to him’ she said.
When Lagos Today contacted Ayeni, he simply said he has ‘no comments’.
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