Mr P explains why he stopped celebrating his birthday on November 18

Nigerian singer Peter Okoye, known as Mr P and one-half of the duo P-Square, has shared why he stopped celebrating his birthday on November 18, the same date as his twin brother, Paul Okoye, also called Rudeboy.

Mr P spoke about his decision during an interview on the Capital XTRA Podcast.

The twins were born on November 18, 1981, and usually celebrated their birthdays together. But things changed after their relationship soured.

In April, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr P stated he would not accept birthday wishes or gifts on November 18 anymore. He said he would now celebrate on November 30, calling this choice personal.

At that time, he did not explain why he made this decision or why he picked November 30.

Why November 18 became difficult

Mr P said November 18 became hard for him because people watched closely what he and Paul posted or said about each other on their birthdays.

"November 18th, for the past 13 years, hasn’t been a birthday that everyone can wish for themselves. November 18th is always gonna be like a moment where everybody’s looking out to see what you’re gonna post, what they’re gonna say," he explained.

He added that living close to each other made things worse, with people moving between both sides.

"My brother is my neighbour, like I said, and people go to his side. They do a lot of gossip, and they don’t want to feel neglected," he said.

Mr P wants a birthday celebration that is personal to him and different from his twin brother’s.

"So this one is separate. I think it’s personal to me. So if you ask me, I say, like, let me have my separate birthday," he stated.

The singer did not say why he picked November 30 as his new celebration date.

Considering the official change

Mr P also mentioned he thought about changing his birthday on official documents like his passport, but he knew it would take time.

"I wish I could change that on my documentation, the passport, but I know it’s gonna take a lot of time. But because maybe in the near future I might do it," he said.

His official documents still have November 18 as his date of birth. His choice to celebrate on November 30 only applies to his celebrations.

While he talked about the intense attention on November 18 for the past 13 years, he later said the date had been tough for him for the last 16 or 17 years.

"November 18th has not been a birthday. It has been a bad day for me for the last 16, 17 years," he shared.

P-Square feud

Mr P and Rudeboy gained fame as P-Square, one of Africa’s biggest music groups, before splitting in 2017 over issues with their careers, finances, and their older brother and manager, Jude Okoye.

The twins publicly reconciled in November 2021 and started performing together again, but their reunion did not last. In 2024, Paul confirmed that the group had split up once more.

Their renewed disagreement involves public accusations about the management of P-Square’s earnings and a legal fight with Jude.

When Mr P announced his new birthday, it drew criticism on social media. In response to the critics, he spoke about alleged betrayal within the family and said the matter is still in court.

Paul has not said anything about changing his November 18 birthday celebration.