Femi Kuti, the eldest son of Fela, Afrobeat legend, has called out the All Progressives Congress (APC) for using an inscription of the late musician on its campaign shirts.
On Tuesday, the Twitter handle of the APC had put out a photo of campaign shirts bearing an inscription made famous by Fela.
“To be spiritual is not by praying and going to church. Spiritualism is the understanding of the universe so that it… Fela Kuti,” the inscription read.
In his reaction, Femi stated that his family owns Fela’s name and that the use of it is an infringement and disregard of legal rights.
He also advised that the tweet be taken down as the family does not align with any political party in Nigeria and beyond.
“I have seen the tweet by @APCNigeria and confirm that use of Fela’s name on the T-shirts bearing the name ‘JAGABAN’ was never authorized,” he wrote.
“The family owns the trademark and the use constitutes an infringement and disregard of our legal rights. The user is advised to cease and desist and also to immediately delete this tweet.
‘I have seen the tweet by @APCNigeria and confirm that use of Fela’s name on the T shirts bearing the name “JAGABAN” was never authorized. The family owns the trademark and the use constitutes an infringement and disregard of our legal rights. The user is advised to cease and
— Femi Anikulapo-Kuti (@Femiakuti) May 5, 2021
available to us.
Advertisement— Femi Anikulapo-Kuti (@Femiakuti) May 5, 2021
“The family does not align with any political party in Nigeria or beyond.
“We are carefully assessing the situation and failure to comply with this demand will leave us with no other option but to explore any legal options that are available to us.”
The APC is however yet to comment on Femi’s tweets.
In September 2020, the ace singer had explained that he rejected pleas from Yemi Osibnajo, vice-president, to join the ruling party.
“I want to state for clarity and posterity my role in the Ojota protest. I was invited for what I and many believed was a genuine cause regarding the cost of fuel,” he had written on Twitter.
“As soon as I found it was politically motivated I pulled out. I got a lot of backlash at the time but stood my ground. For the record, I have NEVER and will NEVER affiliate with any political party.
“…that I don’t feel has the genuine interest of the people of Nigeria at heart. Even when the VP approached me to join APC, I blatantly refused as I also refused to join PDP or any other party.
“My main reason was president Buhari jailing my father in the 80s. Second, I didn’t believe any of the two major political parties had/have the genuine interestest of the Nigerian people at heart.”
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