Afrobeats star, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has rejected calls for him to apologise to Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, over his controversial social media post displaying what he described as the governor’s alleged West African Examinations Council (WAEC) result.
Davido, who spoke in an exclusive interview with News Central on Tuesday in Osun State, insisted that he had done nothing wrong by sharing the document, saying he was only informing the people of Edo State about their governor’s academic record.
He said, “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.”
The controversy followed comments by Okpebholo during political activities ahead of the August 15 governorship election in Osun State, where the Edo governor mocked Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, over his dancing.
While campaigning for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, popularly known as AMBO, Okpebholo said Adeleke’s penchant for dancing was evidence of a lack of seriousness.
He said, “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.”
Davido, who is Adeleke’s nephew and had actively campaigned for his uncle, responded by posting what appeared to be Okpebholo’s WAEC result on his Instagram Story on Friday.
The post, which had no caption, triggered a wave of reactions on social media, with Tugbiyele describing it as inappropriate and disrespectful and calling on the singer to apologise.
Davido, however, doubled down on his position, accusing Okpebholo of leaving Edo State to attack his uncle in Osun.
He said, “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.”
The singer also questioned Okpebholo’s understanding of electoral victory, saying, “You don’t know what it means to win an election. That’s why you could go there and talk.”
Davido further criticised the Edo governor for publicly attacking Adeleke, saying he felt sorry for Okpebholo’s children.
He said, “I feel so bad for his kids. Because you see what my dad is doing. Do you understand? Yeah, you’re abusing a sitting governor in his own state.”
The singer also took a swipe at Okpebholo over his alleged stay in a hotel, saying, “A whole governor staying in a hotel, walking around like…”
Davido then warned the Edo governor that the political battle could return to Edo State when the time comes.
He said, “In fact, finish your three years, we’ll visit you when it’s time for you to get re-elected.”
Call for Apology
Tugbiyele had earlier urged Davido to apologise to Okpebholo, arguing that the singer should not have personally responded to the governor’s criticism of Adeleke.
In a now-trending video originally posted on Facebook, Tugbiyele said, “I watched a video when Governor Okpebholo called the governor of my state, Adeleke, the dancing governor. And the governor’s relation, David Adeleke, replied by publishing the WAEC Secondary School leaving result of Governor Okpebholo, the governor of Edo State.”
Although he acknowledged that the alleged result was unimpressive, Tugbiyele said it was inappropriate to use it to ridicule the governor.
He said, “The result is not good enough, but it’s possible. The governor did a resit. We are not aware of that, but I think Davido, David Adeleke’s publication is inappropriate.”
He argued that Adeleke could have responded to Okpebholo through official channels instead of allowing Davido to engage the Edo governor.
Tugbiyele concluded with a direct appeal to the singer: “Davido, David Adeleke, please, as a proper Yoruba, please apologise to Governor Okpebholo. God bless you, David. God bless Nigeria.”
Davido’s latest comments, however, make clear that he has no intention of heeding the call, setting the stage for further exchanges between the singer and the Edo governor.
