NEWS
“They Were Calling Me To Delete. I Said Sorry O… I Can’t Delete Anything” — Davido Claims, Alleges Akpabio, Dangote Asked Him To Delete Osun Election Updates
Afrobeats superstar David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has alleged that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote contacted him during the Osun State governorship election and asked him to delete posts he shared on social media about the electoral process.
Davido made the allegation while speaking in an interview with News Central TV, where he discussed his involvement in monitoring the election and his decision to use his social media platforms to share polling unit results and updates from the collation process.
According to the singer, he received calls from individuals he identified as Akpabio and Dangote, urging him to take down his social media posts. Davido, however, said he refused to comply, insisting that he had a responsibility to continue sharing information from the election.
“They were calling me to delete. I said sorry o… I can’t delete anything,” he said.
Davido also made a fresh allegation concerning the amount of money he claimed was deployed during the election. According to him, more than ₦110 billion in cash was allegedly brought into Osun State in an attempt to influence the outcome of the poll.
The singer described the alleged movement of such a huge amount of money as deeply troubling, warning that the use of financial resources to influence elections could pose a serious danger to Nigeria’s democratic development.
He said his family and supporters did not resort to financial inducement at polling units on election day, maintaining that their strategy was largely centred on prayers, mobilisation and encouraging voters to remain vigilant.
“We didn’t spend a dime on election day. All we could do was just pray that these people take their money and vote for us,” he said.
Davido further claimed that voters across the state resisted alleged attempts to manipulate the electoral process, arguing that Nigerians were increasingly becoming unwilling to allow money and political influence to determine their votes.
His comments come against the backdrop of his highly visible involvement in the Osun governorship election, during which he openly supported his uncle, Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The singer regularly shared updates about the election on X and used his large online following to draw attention to developments at polling units and during the collation of results.
Adeleke was eventually declared the winner of the election after defeating the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, securing another term in office.
Reflecting on the outcome, Davido argued that the result demonstrated the power of voters when they remain committed to their preferred candidate despite political pressure and financial inducement.
“When you stand by the people, the people will stand by you,” he said.
The allegations made by Davido add another layer to the controversy surrounding the conduct and financing of elections in Nigeria, particularly concerns over vote-buying, political influence and the role of wealthy individuals in electoral contests.
While the claims regarding the alleged ₦110 billion expenditure and the calls to delete his posts remain allegations made by Davido, they are likely to generate further debate over the increasing role of money, political connections and social media in Nigeria’s electoral process.