Afrobeats singer David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has dismissed claims linking him to any political group, saying his friendship with Seyi Tinubu does not stop him from speaking out about issues affecting Nigerians.
The music star made the clarification on Saturday after facing criticism on social media over a post in which he expressed frustration about insecurity, hardship and what he described as growing injustice in the country.
Davido had earlier used his X account to reflect on the role of entertainers in national conversations, admitting that many public figures, including himself, had not done enough to address the concerns of ordinary Nigerians.
In the post, he wrote, “I can’t lie, we entertainers… we dey fuck up, I won’t lie, including me. We need to speak up. It’s too much injustice going on. Our country don go.”
His comments quickly attracted reactions from social media users. While some praised him for speaking openly about the challenges facing the country, others questioned whether he was being genuine.
Among those who criticised the singer was an X user identified as #princessluna237, who accused him of pretending to care about the situation in Nigeria because of his perceived closeness to people within the ruling circle.
The user wrote, “Na God go punish you and your family. Go and do that performative rubbish in your City Boys group chat and get tf out of my face with all this pretentious nonsense. Na foolish Nigerians I blame.”
The comment appeared to reference Davido’s friendship with Seyi Tinubu, the son of President Bola Tinubu.
Reacting to the allegation, Davido denied belonging to any political association or group known as “City Boys.”
“I no dey part of any city boy group,” he replied.
The singer also reminded critics that he had previously faced backlash for discussing Nigeria’s problems during interviews with foreign media platforms.
According to him, many of the same people questioning his sincerity today were among those who attacked him when he publicly criticised the government in the past.
“When I called out the government on American media, you guys rained curses on me,” he added.
Davido further explained that his relationship with Seyi Tinubu is based on a long-standing friendship and should not be mistaken for political allegiance.
The award-winning artiste said he regularly raises concerns about the state of the country directly with Seyi whenever they speak.
“I’ve been friends with ST for years and that’s where it stops, and I call and complain to him all the time, even in person,” he wrote.
In recent weeks, a growing number of Nigerian celebrities and public figures have spoken out about the challenges facing the country, using their platforms to call for urgent government action.
In one of such reactions, British-Nigerian rapper Skepta criticised President Bola Tinubu and appealed to the international community to stand with Nigerians affected by the crisis.
In a related development, Davido recently revealed that he was taking a break from music to support the re-election campaign of his uncle, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke.
In April, the Afrobeats star was appointed head of youth mobilisation for the Accord Party’s campaign council after Adeleke’s exit from the Peoples Democratic Party.
The Guardian
