Femi Kuti denies attacking Charlyboy for standing up for LGBT community

Femi Kuti, son of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti has denied a report which made the rounds last Sunday on a popular blog claiming that he called out the former PMAN President for being a gay rights activist.

Reacting to the report in a statement, Femi’s management said the report is untrue saying at no time did the Afrobeat musician make any such comments condemning Charlyboy for standing up for LGBT community.

The statement reads thus; “Our attention has been brought to a post which was published on the Linda Ikeji platform on Sunday 22nd of July 2018. The post which is attached here alleged that our client Femi Kuti “took to Instagram to slam CharlyBoy for his newfound role as a gay rights activist”.

“While the post has since been deleted, due to outcry from members of the public who pointed out the error in the handle she was quoting as Mr. Kuti’s, we will like to state that at no time did our client make any statements about Mr Charles “Charly Boy” Oputa on his social media accounts or on any other platform.

Read also: LGBT COMMUNITY: Charlyboy squares for a fight

“Mr. Kuti’s handles on social media are all verified and there was no way the purported handle could have been mistaken for his unless there was malicious intent on the part of the author. For the records, we would like to also state that: Our client Femi Kuti respects individual freedoms and will never impose his beliefs on others or ridicule them for expressing theirs. He also respects Mr. Oputa as a fellow creative and for his activities in speaking out for the under-represented and disenfranchised.

“We demand that an apology is issued to our client on the Linda Ikeji blog by the author of the post, as this issue has caused him emotional distress, especially at a time when he is on a tour flying the flag of Nigeria in the United States. In this age of social media, members of the media should ensure that they take extra precautions before sharing stories or news which have the potential to cause injury to the reputation of others. It is important that we do not sacrifice our decency as humans on the altar of viral news and website clicks. We trust that the Linda Ikeji organization will let wise counsel prevail. Thank you very much,” the statement read.

Recall last Sunday; Charlyboy said he’s up for a fight to protect lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender (LGBT) community in Nigeria after his daughter openly came out as gay.

The controversial musician who has constantly taken a vocal stance on social nay political issues in a post on his Instagram page said he has in time past fought for Okada riders and many others in the past and now is the time for him to fight for the LGBT community in Nigeria.

 

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