Afrobeats star Davido has firmly shut the door on any personal political ambition, citing Nigeria’s flawed electoral system and the intense stress of the process, even as he addressed his uncle Governor Ademola Adeleke’s declaration of support for President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking in an exclusive interview on News Central TV on Tuesday, the singer was asked about his uncle’s full endorsement of Tinubu.
“I can’t tell my uncle what to do,” Davido replied.
When the anchor pressed him on whether he hoped to become a politician someday, he was emphatic.
“With this system? I mean, my own vexing… I wasn’t the one running for office, but see how I was making tweets. I can’t even do this with this system, the high blood pressure that… How can you wake up in the morning knowing that the people want you, and you can get rigged out? It cannot happen anywhere else in the world.”
He stressed that he remains comfortable in his music career.
“I’m comfortable in my job? Or why am I famous? Music, yeah. I defeated 17 governors with all their power, with all their immunity, with all their escort commander, with all their DSS, with all their billions. I defeated them with what? Just a phone.”
Davido explained that his involvement was personal and limited.
“For now, I feel like I did what I had to do for the Osun people and for my family. The next day, a lot of people were tweeting at me, trying to rage-bait me. ‘Make sure you do this for the president.’ You can’t come and tell me what to do. You can’t force me to have a presidential candidate. Personally, I don’t want to be involved in it.”
He added that while his uncle may have reasons to maintain good relations with the federal government for the benefit of Osun State, that decision rests with the governor.
“My uncle might have his personal reasons for the gain of the state. I’m sure a governor being in good terms with the president… maybe more allocation. But that’s for the governor to decide. He’s been re-elected.”
In related comments after the election, Davido described Adeleke’s victory as a hard-fought “war.”
“Let me congratulate my governor for his re-election for the hard-fought battle. Let me not say battle but war, where you have 17 governors, 50 senators, House of Reps, I don’t know how many they were against one man and he came out victorious. God is good,” he said while addressing journalists at his country home in Ede.
He praised Osun youths for restoring hope in free and fair elections nationwide.
“Shout out to Osun youths, you guys didn’t really give hope to the people in Osun; you guys gave hope to the whole Nigeria because if this had gone the other way, I think Nigeria would have actually given up on what they call free and fair elections.”
Davido also said the victory should serve as an example to other public officials.
“My uncle, the Governor, should be an example to all other government officials out there. It means that if you work well for the people, the people will work well for you no matter what.”
The singer declared that he has no preferred presidential candidate for 2027 and has ruled out supporting the ruling APC, choosing instead to focus on music and youth development initiatives in Osun, including plans for a sports and recreation centre.