The family of late Afrobeats legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti has denied endorsing any presidential candidate in the 2023 elections or condoning the use of any of his songs in political campaigns.
Fela’s “Eko Ile” was used as campaign music by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in their 2023 presidential election. Fans were already speculating that the Kuti family was endorsing the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) party, so this move only fueled those suspicions.
Femi Kuti issued a statement on his verified social media accounts saying that the Kuti family has never taken a political stance and that the APC’s action was done without their knowledge or consent.
The post reads; “Disclaimer and notice of use without consent. We the administrators of the estate of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti issue this disclaimer. We wish to state here for clarity, that the permission of the estate was not sought for the use of Fela’s music, Eko Ile, in the All Progressive Congress social media campaign currently making the rounds.
“We do not involve Fela’s music in any political campaign at home or abroad and choose to remain neutral. While we wish all candidates the best we demand that the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria are abided by and intellectual property rights are duly respected. Signed the estate of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.”
