By Fasuyi Tolulope Samuel
Popular gospel singer, Tope Alabi, has reportedly declined to perform at the surprise birthday party of Nollywood actress Liz Anjorin — a move that sparked widespread debate online. New details have emerged explaining the decision.
According to Oreofe Williams, PhD, a filmmaker and author privy to the event’s planning, Tope Alabi and her husband, Soji Alabi, were not informed of the celebrant’s identity before arriving at the venue. The omission, he said, left the gospel duo feeling misled and denied of “a choice by conscience.”
Williams revealed that a filmmaker had contacted him weeks earlier requesting Tope Alabi’s presence for what was presented as a surprise performance for “someone he cherished a lot.” No name was disclosed during the negotiation, and it was assumed it might be the filmmaker’s wife or a close associate.
“I contacted Uncle Soji Alabi and pleaded with him to accept the offer, even though he mentioned the fee was low for such an engagement,” Williams stated. “Eventually, they agreed to perform for a discounted sum of N2.5 million, down from the original price — a 70% reduction due to my intervention.”
Upon arriving at the venue and discovering that the celebrant was Liz Anjorin, Tope Alabi reportedly refused to leave her vehicle. The singer cited personal reasons and declined to perform. The couple subsequently left the venue and refunded the entire amount paid for the engagement.
Williams expressed his disapproval of how the matter was handled, noting that hiding the identity of the celebrant was both deceptive and unfair to the artists involved.
“The main question is: Why was the celebrant’s identity hidden? And for what reason?” Williams asked. “Sincerely speaking, I would never have spent the next 15 seconds there if I was in their position. Nobody loves to be manipulated.”
In a video response, Liz Anjorin criticized Alabi for backing out of the surprise and released the payment receipt to show that the singer had been fully paid. However, Williams clarified that contrary to some media reports claiming N3.5 million was paid, the actual amount was N2.5 million, disbursed in three tranches.
“The inflated price published by some writers is erroneous. The Alabis made an instant refund of N2.5m. I had to request for the payment receipts because I feel quite bitter about such manipulations,” he added.
Williams emphasized the importance of integrity in business relationships and said the incident was an unfortunate conundrum resulting from lack of transparency.
“You don’t ask a singer to ‘surprise’ a public figure only to keep the celebrant anonymous and eventually ‘surprise’ the ‘surpriser’ at the venue. You will be more surprised!” he said.
He also defended the Alabis’ reputation, saying they have a history of performing for both Christian and Muslim fans across various languages and backgrounds. Their refusal, he maintained, was not due to religion or personal prejudice but stemmed from a lack of trust and transparency.
“They felt deceived and were not given the endeared privilege of a choice by conscience.”
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