Femi Kuti, son of Afrobeat legend Fela has called out the All Progressives Congress (APC) for using an inscription of the late musician on its campaign shirts without authorization.
The APC on Tuesday May 4, shared photo of campaign shirts which had incriptions that read “To be spiritual is not by praying and going to church. Spiritualism is the understanding of the universe so that it… Fela Kuti.”
Reacting to this, Femi Kuti noted that his family does not align with political parties in Nigeria or beyond. Pointing out that his family owns the trademark, the superstar saxophonist described such action as an “infringement and disregard of their legal rights”.
The “user” was advised to cease and desist and also to immediately delete the tweet. Femi Kuti wrote;
‘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 desist and also to immediately delete this tweet. 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.