I rejected Dangote, Akpabio’s plea to delete Osun election tweets – Davido

Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has revealed that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote contacted him about his viral social media posts during the Osun State governorship election.

Davido shared this during an interview with News Central TV on Tuesday, where he discussed the pressure he faced while monitoring the election and sharing updates online.

The singer alleged that political actors spent huge sums of money to influence the election’s outcome, claiming that more than ₦110 billion in cash was brought into the state for that purpose.

“I just confirmed today. They spent N110 billion. I’m coming from somewhere where we had an insider who was sending us… If you see the cash these people brought in.

“If they had gotten away with that election, Nigeria is finished. Because the blueprint for election will now be violence and money,” he stated.

Reflecting on his family’s strategy, the singer emphasised that the team relied entirely on public support and voter vigilance rather than financial inducements at polling units.

“We didn’t spend a dime on election day. All we could do was pray that these people take their money and vote for us,” he said.

“It got to a point where it was the Osun people that were beating the people that were trying to seize ballots. People are tired,” he added.

Addressing the high-profile calls he received as results were being tallied, the musician revealed that he refused appeals to take down his updates on X (formerly Twitter), where he was tracking polling unit results and highlighting delays.

“I heard the Senate President was trying to call the collation centre… They were calling me to delete. I said sorry o. You guys have literally just gone against my uncle… I can’t delete anything. Uncle Aliko called me too. I said, “Uncle, I’m not deleting until the INEC announcement,” he revealed.

Davido maintained that his uncle, Governor Ademola Adeleke’s, victory demonstrates the power of popular support over financial and political influence.

“My uncle should be an example to all other government officials and governors. When you stand by the people, the people will stand by you,” he stated.

Davido’s involvement in Osun State politics stems from his close ties to his family’s political dynasty. His late uncle, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, popularly known as “Serubawon,” served as the first civilian governor of Osun State in 1992, while his uncle, Ademola Adeleke, is the current governor.