Osun Election: Davido ‘Banned’ From Edo as Gov’s Aide Issues Warning

Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has come under fire in Edo State after a senior aide to Governor Monday Okpebholo issued a strong warning to the singer over his involvement in the Osun governorship election.

Apostle Kassy Chukwu, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Okpebholo, was seen in a viral video warning Davido against visiting Edo State.

The development comes amid altercation between Davido and the Edo governor, which started after Okpebholo criticised Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke during the campaign for the August 15 governorship election.

Chukwu, in the video, claimed Davido was no longer welcome in the state and warned against bringing the singer to Edo for any performance.

“David, we don’t want to see you for Edo state again. If we catch you, if we see you for airports, go there boys, make that you slap, they remove your teeth for you,” Chukwu said.

The statement has since caused reactions online, with the warning drawing attention because Chukwu is an aide to the Edo governor.

It was not immediately clear whether the statement represented an official position of the Edo State Government or was a personal response by the governor’s aide.

The controversy can be traced to the political activities surrounding the Osun election.

Governor Okpebholo had travelled to Osun State to participate in the campaign of the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, popularly known as AMBO.

During one of the campaign events, the Edo governor took aim at Governor Adeleke over his public dancing.

Okpebholo questioned whether the people of Osun State were satisfied with Adeleke’s style of leadership and used the governor’s dancing as a major part of his criticism.

“Before somebody signs paper, he will dance. Are you not tired? For four years, this man has been dancing. Before he takes breakfast, before he drinks tea, he will dance,” Okpebholo said.

His comments quickly became a subject of discussion on social media.

Davido, who is Adeleke’s nephew and had been actively involved in his uncle’s re-election campaign, responded in a manner that further escalated the matter.

The singer shared on his Instagram Story what appeared to be Governor Okpebholo’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination result.

The post did not contain a caption.

However, the timing of the post made it widely understood as a response to the Edo governor’s comments.

The authenticity of the document has not been independently established.

Reports on the matter have also noted that neither Davido nor the Edo State Government provided an immediate clarification over the document when it was first shared.

The purported result showed several grades, including D7 in Commerce, Economics, English Language and Christian Religious Knowledge, E8 in Government and C5 in Mathematics.

Davido later addressed the controversy more directly.

In an interview with News Central while in Osun State, the singer defended his decision and said he had no reason to apologise.

“I’m not going to apologise. I didn’t do anything wrong. I was just telling people of the state the results their governor has,” he said.

He also questioned why Governor Okpebholo had travelled from Edo to Osun to attack his uncle during the election campaign.

Davido said the Edo governor should have focused on matters concerning his own state instead of criticising Adeleke.

“Yes, and you came, you left your state, you came to another state. You came in and then started talking that my uncle is a dancer; he is not serious. The road to your Government House is not done. My uncle is not serious. First of all, you were not even elected; you were selected,” Davido said.

The singer further challenged Okpebholo over his understanding of electoral victory.

“You don’t know what it means to win an election. That’s why you could go there and talk,” he added.

Davido also expressed concern about the way the governor had attacked his uncle during the campaign and said he felt sorry for Okpebholo’s children.

Davido had been a visible presence at campaign events involving Governor Adeleke.

He joined the governor at campaign activities and also used his public platform to call for a peaceful and credible election.

Nonetheless, the singer’s involvement in Osun politics is not new. He previously played a visible role during Adeleke’s successful 2022 governorship campaign and has continued to publicly identify with his uncle’s political activities.