Mercy Chinwo Speaks Out Against Ex-Manager EeZee Tee
Famous Gospel singer, Mercy Chinwo who captured hearts with her music and lyrics is firing back at her former manager and boss, Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu, popularly known as EeZee Tee. The former duo is going head-to-head in an eye-opening public dispute over legal battles concerning money, contract issues, and even accusations of fraud. In a surprising turn of events, Mercy Chinwo Speaks Out Against Ex-Manager EeZee Tee, here’s Everything You Should Know About the Whole Saga.
To truly understand the battle between the singer and her former label EeZee Conceptz Global, under the charge of her former manager, EeZee Tee, we need to give a full breakdown of the pair’s tumultuous business relationship, as well as everything that’s happening now.
The Very Beginning of Mercy Chinwo and EeZee Tee’s Saga
Mercy Nnenda Chinwo is a popular Nigerian Gospel singer and actress, who gained recognition as a contestant in the popular Nigerian singing contest show, Nigerian Idol in 2012 where she emerged as the winner. This big win catapulted Chinwo into the beginning of a successful career in the Nigerian music industry, by 2015 she had released her first single “Testimony”, and two years later she was signed to a record label.
In 2017, the young and upcoming gospel musician Mercy Chinwo started working with and under the helms of Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu’s label EeZee Conceptz in Port Harcourt, a label that had managed other well-known artists such as Judikay. What initially started as a fond “father-daughter” relationship between the two, led to the singer being signed to the label that same year, and Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu became her manager thereafter because of the nature of the 360 recording-management deal that was made.
By 2018, with the help of the label, Mercy Chinwo released the single “Excess Love” and fortunately for both parties, Mercy Chinwo’s career skyrocketed so high, leading to more singles like “Na You Dey Reign”, “Chinedum”, and even their move from Port Harcourt to Lagos to explore the music scene to its fullest.
The Rocky Saga Between Mercy Chinwo and EeZee Tee Explained
By 2022, Mercy Chinwo’s contract expired, leading to a refusal to renew on her part. This meant discontinuing the manager-singer relationship between the duo, leading them to go their separate ways artistically.
Fast forward to January 16, 2025, EeZee Tee was arrested by the EFCC over allegations of his involvement in a $345,000 diversion fraud case, during that period, no information was disclosed surrounding the details of the case, leaving the public in the dark.
However, after EeZee Tee’s release, he proceeded to state his case in the court of public opinion. In an interview with TVC News, he expressed that he made her career, and he went on to state that he covered every cost while she was under the label, from video costs to mobility costs.
He claimed that while in the custody of EFCC, he was extorted and forced to send $274,000 to his ex-client, Mercy Chinwo. His claims as he stated went from being held against his will for nine days in Ilorin, his business was put on pause, to the EFCC freezing all his accounts. According to his claims, he said that he made the transfer to Mercy Chinwo in exchange for his release from detention.
EeZee Tee’s claims did not stop there, he admitted withholding Chinwo’s royalties from digital streaming platforms (DSPs) and went on to explain that he only did this because she allegedly partook in actions that could be termed as “boycotting” against the label, this means she performed at events without notifying them, and she didn’t share her earnings while she was still signed to EeZee Conceptz. However, he stated that he had already paid her over $600,000 in royalties from DSPs.
The drama didn’t end there, as he revealed one more bombshell. He alleges that according to their agreement, Mercy Chinwo still owed the label, EeZee Conceptz, some singles and an album. He claimed that she breached her contract of a fifty-fifty revenue split, and there was no “mutual financial reconciliation” on her part, which he allegedly has evidence of in the form of pictures, videos, and contractual witnesses.
EeZee Tee states that this case is not all about money, but about the truth. He called for transparency on all the account books on both his part and hers, all in a bid for the truth on her alleged breach of contract to be uncovered.
Mercy Chinwo Breaks Her Silence
In a twist of events Mercy Chinwo Speaks Out Against Ex-Manager EeZee Tee to tell her side of things, she did this through a video she posted on Instagram on her personal account on Tuesday, January 28.
According to her account of things, she was so scared that she moved from Lagos to Port Harcourt because of the threats he made against her life. She claimed she was bullied by EeZee Tee, and taken to court by him and not the other way around, a claim she had appropriate proof of in the form of documents.
Her claims went on to state that she had no wrongdoings in the matter whatsoever, she stated that she took him as a father, and even performed as his backup singer and served him diligently after the management contract was signed in 2017. According to her account, as their 360 contract deal progressed, he tried to convince her to sign a twelve-year contract which she refused, and it all went downhill from there.
She stated that he created a toxic work environment because of her refusal and the situation became even worse when she collaborated on a song with Pastor Nathaniel Bassey. According to her statements, this collaboration led to retaliation by EeZee Tee in which he circulated fake news to gossip blogs, fake news that cast lies regarding her personal life, and the maternity of her son which she gave birth to in 2023.
The biggest takeaway of her claim was that he seized her royalty for two years, and after she left the label, she requested a copy of the contract, only to find that her former manager made changes to the original contract by changing the signing date from 2017 to 2019, meaning the contract she signed in 2017 was altered to reflect a 2019 signing date.
Another shocking accusation she made was when she revealed that EeZee Tee did not want her to perform at an event at Bishop Felix Omobude’s church, however she insisted on attending. According to her statement, EeZee Tee had told the bishop that she had a terminal illness, which led to an unexpected situation in which she arrived at the airport, only to be met by medical staff who had been arranged based on the false information.
The Aftermath
Between Mercy Chinwo’s statement and press release, there has been a back-and-forth between both parties. After stating her case, EeZee Tee fired back, denying all allegations she made, calling them false. He stated that the claim that he changed the contract is “a lie from the pit of hell”. He also claimed that Chinwo decided not to attend the bishop’s event on her own accord, but she changed her mind to avoid the birthday of her label mate.
On January 24, the lawyers representing EFCC officially asked the court to cancel the arrest warrant issued against EeZee Tee. EeZee Tee’s legal team fired back that the EFCC crossed its boundaries by securing the arrest order in the first place.
They claimed that the dispute between EeZee Tee and Chinwo was purely contractual and not a criminal offense, meaning the EFCC should not have been involved in the matter at all. The court has scheduled the next hearing for February 14, 2025.
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