Nigerian music superstar David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has stirred fresh political debate with a series of statements on X in which he appears to be distancing himself from active support for presidential candidates while simultaneously drawing a firm line against the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to the posts attributed to Davido on Saturday, August 15, he declared: “No more supporting any presidential candidate. Adeleke, make we dey our dey.” He followed this with another emphatic position: “I will never support APC in my life.”
The comments come at a politically sensitive moment for Osun State, where his uncle, Governor Ademola Adeleke, is seeking another term and the state is holding its governorship election on August 15.
Davido's latest position is particularly notable because of his highly visible support for Governor Adeleke during the current campaign. In May, the Osun State Government reported that Davido joined his uncle at a campaign engagement and urged voters to support the governor's re-election, describing it as being in the best interest of the state.
The political controversy surrounding the Adeleke family has also been intensified by the governor's relationship with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In March, the Osun State Government stated that Adeleke had reaffirmed his endorsement of Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election, describing the president as a leader of the South-West.
That position has since become a major point of political discussion. In July, reports indicated that Adeleke and the Accord Party adopted Tinubu as their preferred presidential candidate for 2027, citing, among other considerations, continuity in federal infrastructure projects.
It is against this backdrop that activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore responded sharply to Davido's latest remarks.
In a Facebook post, Sowore accused the singer of political opportunism and “political hedging,” arguing that the Adeleke family could not, in his view, claim to represent the interests of Osun people while maintaining political relations with the Tinubu-led federal establishment.
Sowore questioned the apparent contradiction between supporting the Adeleke political structure in Osun while rejecting the APC and criticised what he described as attempts to “have it both ways.”
He argued that the situation ultimately raises questions about whether political decisions are being driven by public interest or by personal and family interests.
Sowore further maintained that Nigerians should pay close attention to the relationships between political families and national political establishments rather than simply judging politicians by their party labels or public statements.
The timing of the exchange makes it particularly significant. Osun politics has become increasingly polarised, with the Adeleke administration and the APC opposition engaged in a fierce battle over the direction of the state. The governor's camp has accused opponents of political repression and financial interference, while APC actors have repeatedly challenged the administration's performance and political claims.
Davido's latest comments therefore raise an obvious political question: Is he completely withdrawing from political endorsements, or is he simply drawing a distinction between supporting his uncle in Osun and supporting a presidential candidate at the national level?
Whatever his intention, the message has already reopened a larger debate about celebrity involvement in Nigerian politics, family influence, political alliances and the increasingly complicated relationship between Osun's political leadership and the federal government.
For now, Davido appears to be saying that he will no longer publicly back presidential candidates—and, at least according to his latest declaration, that the APC remains a political red line for him.
Sowore, however, believes the bigger issue is not the party Davido refuses to support, but the political alliances he is willing to tolerate.
And that argument is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.
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