Social media has been abuzz with reports of gospel singer Tope Alabi’s refusal to perform at the surprise birthday party of actress Lizzy Anjorin.
According to reports, fans of Lizzy in the diaspora had organised the surprise event on Friday and paid Tope Alabi in advance for her performance.
However, upon arriving at the venue and discovering that the celebrant was Lizzy Anjorin, the singer reportedly refused to come out of her vehicle.
In a statement shared on Instagram on Saturday, actor Oreofe Williams shed more light on what happened.
Titled “Concerning Evang. Tope Alabi and Lizzy Anjorin’s Birthday Surprise: An Unfortunate Conundrum,” the report addressed the controversy and debunked some media claims.
Williams wrote: “It was N2.5m and not N3.5m that was paid to the Alabis. The cost value was reduced by 70% to that amount because Uncle Soji Alabi considered my intervention.”
He explained that a filmmaker had contacted him weeks earlier to book Tope Alabi for a surprise performance, but the name of the celebrant was never mentioned.
“The filmmaker told me that he wanted to surprise ‘someone he cherishes a lot’. No name was mentioned and I assumed it could be his wife or anybody,” he stated.
Williams said he had no reason to suspect foul play because the person who contacted him gave the impression he was funding the surprise alone.
After connecting him with Soji Alabi, Tope’s husband, an agreement was reached.
However, the Alabis were not informed of who the celebrant was until they got to the venue.
“Uncle Soji informed me that day would be very busy and I pleaded with him to attend… He eventually honoured my plea to receive the agreed amount,” Williams said, noting that the payment of N2.5m was made in three tranches.
He added, “It was at this moment I received a call from Uncle Soji who had already made up his mind to leave the venue.
“Sincerely speaking, I would never have spent the next 15 seconds there if I was in his position. Nobody loves to be manipulated.”
Addressing speculation that the decision to leave was personal, Williams clarified, “The reason they returned the money and left was not particularly because of the celebrant or anyone around the venue as I have read in some articles.
“They felt deceived and were not given the endeared privilege of a choice by conscience.”
He continued, “Ministers Soji and Tope Alabi and their team have, on several occasions, honoured Christians and Moslems, as their fans cut across multiple languages and religions.”
Williams stressed the need for honesty in such dealings, stating, “It is expedient to note that integrity, transparency and accountability will always serve as the bedrocks to sustain healthy business relationships.
“You don’t ask a singer to ‘surprise’ a public figure only to keep the celebrant anonymous and eventually ‘surprise’ the ‘surpriser’ at the venue. You will be more surprised!”
He also confirmed that the N2.5 million was refunded immediately after the incident.
As of the time of filing this report, Tope Alabi and her husband Soji Alabi have not issued any public statement on the matter.
Tope Alabi is known to be a close acquaintance of actress Funke Akindele, who has not enjoyed the best of relationships with Lizzy Anjorin in recent years, fueling speculation that the gospel singer may have deliberately opted out of the event due to loyalty.
