Davido Alleges Senate President Akpabio, Dangote Called Him to Delete Osun Election Tweets
Afrobeats superstar David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has revealed that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote personally contacted him during the Osun State governorship election, appealing to him to delete some of his posts on X. Davido made the disclosure during an interview with News Central TV on Tuesday while recounting his involvement in monitoring the election and the pressure surrounding the collation of results. The singer, whose uncle Ademola Adeleke was re-elected governor of Osun State, used the platform throughout the election to provide updates from polling units and to raise concerns over developments during the collation process.
Recounting the pressure he faced as results were being tallied, Davido said he first heard that the Senate President was attempting to reach the collation centre before turning his attention directly to him, asking him to take down his posts. Davido said he refused, telling Akpabio bluntly that the situation had already turned against his uncle and that he could not delete anything. He further disclosed that Dangote also called him personally over the same matter, but that he similarly declined, telling the businessman he would not delete his posts until INEC officially announced the result.
Beyond the calls to delete his posts, Davido alleged that more than ₦110 billion in cash was deployed in an attempt to influence the outcome of the election, a figure he said he had personally confirmed through an insider who had been feeding him information as events unfolded. He argued that had those behind the spending succeeded in swaying the result, the implications for Nigeria’s democracy would have been severe. Davido maintained that his own camp did not distribute money to voters on election day, insisting that they relied instead on voter vigilance and public support to counter the alleged vote-buying efforts.
Describing scenes from the ground during the election, Davido said it reached a point where residents of Osun State themselves confronted and physically resisted individuals attempting to seize ballot boxes, adding that the general public had grown visibly tired of such tactics. He went further to contrast the scale of political mobilisation ranged against his uncle, noting that despite the presence of roughly 17 state governors, close to 50 senators and numerous members of the House of Representatives working against Adeleke, the APC was ultimately defeated because the electorate stood firmly behind the governor.
In the same interview, Davido made a further striking claim, stating that he had effectively taken on 17 APC governors using nothing but his mobile phone, describing how he confronted their combined political power, immunity, aides, security escorts, the Department of State Services and financial resources through his social media activity alone. He also addressed his own political stance heading into 2027, explaining that his decision to back President Tinubu was rooted in personal considerations and what he believes would benefit Osun State, while clarifying that he currently does not have a preferred presidential candidate for the next election, though he ruled out supporting the APC.
Davido additionally touched on unresolved tensions with other political figures, ruling out any apology to Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo or AAC presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore over disagreements that arose during the build-up to the election, accusing Sowore specifically of seeking attention by dragging him and his uncle into the matter. He separately confirmed he had no plans to apologise to Okpebholo over an unrelated matter involving the publication of the governor’s WAEC result, explaining that he shared it to let residents see the person governing them. With INEC’s declaration of Adeleke as winner now finalised, Davido’s remarks add further detail to the wave of behind-the-scenes accounts emerging from the closely contested Osun State election.
About the Author
