The True Colours: The Adeleke Scam Family – From Davido to the Dancing Governor
How Adeleke Betrayed Osun People and Now Supports Tinubu
10 Reasons Nigerians Should Be Wary of Them and Other Celebrity Musicians and PoliticiansThe recent political theatre involving Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke and his nephew, global Afrobeats star Davido, has peeled back layers that many Nigerians say were always there. Videos circulating online, including sharp commentary from critics like VeryDarkMan and widespread reactions in Davido’s own comment sections after he announced concerts, capture a collective anger: accusations of calculated hypocrisy, emotional manipulation of voters, and a family that used popular sentiment for electoral gain only to pivot when power demanded it.
Governor Adeleke, the “dancing governor” who ran under the Accord Party banner, has publicly thrown his weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid. He has been named a coordinator for Tinubu’s campaign efforts in Osun and has spoken of dancing “all the way back to Aso Rock.” Critics argue this reveals what they call his “true colours.” During the Osun governorship contest, Davido had posted strongly against the APC, declaring that anyone supporting the party in the state was an “enemy of progress” and stating he could never support the APC in his life. Old posts have resurfaced. The contrast has fuelled claims that the family played a longer game.
Below are ten reasons, drawn from the collective rhetoric in the circulating videos and public reactions, why many Nigerians say they should remain wary of the Adeleke family and, more broadly, of celebrity musicians and politicians who mix entertainment with power.
1. Apparent political flip-flop after using anti-APC sentiment
Critics argue Adeleke opposed the APC publicly when it suited the election, only to align with Tinubu afterward. The claim is that the governorship race functioned more like an internal power contest than a genuine alternative.
2. Emotional blackmail of voters
Davido’s strong anti-APC posts are cited as tools that framed one side as the enemy while masking alleged underlying alignments. Voters who responded to the “enemy of progress” language now feel used.
3. Self-interest over principle
The recurring theme in the commentary is that elite families and celebrities prioritise access, continuity of influence, and self-preservation. Ordinary people’s hardship becomes secondary once the votes are secured.
4. Celebrity influence as a political weapon
Fans are mobilised during elections with emotional appeals, only for the same celebrities to go silent or pivot when the political calculus changes. This pattern is described as exploitation of fandom.
5. The “puppet” accusation
Some critics openly call Adeleke an APC-aligned figure who maintained a different public posture for electoral convenience. The appointment as campaign coordinator is presented as confirmation rather than surprise.
6. Failure to deliver tangible benefits to Osun after the campaign
Commenters point out the absence of major shows or sustained investment in Osun by the celebrity nephew outside election periods, framing the relationship as extractive.
7. Silence on broader suffering while seeking entertainment revenue
When Davido announced ticketed concerts amid national economic pain, reactions in his comment section turned hostile. Critics saw it as tone-deaf: asking struggling Nigerians to pay high prices after the political manoeuvres.
8. Pattern of elite solidarity
References to past meetings, calls, and social proximity between the family and federal power centres are used to argue that the public drama was theatre while private interests aligned.
9. Erosion of trust in celebrity political endorsements
The episode is held up as a lesson: do not outsource political judgment to musicians or entertainers. Their incentives (access, contracts, protection, relevance) rarely match those of ordinary citizens.
10. Broader warning about the celebrity-politician nexus
The rhetoric extends beyond one family. Whether campaigning for one party or another, celebrities are portrayed as operating primarily for self-interest. The advice repeated across the commentary is simple: judge politicians by results and lived experience, not by the star who endorses them.
The collective message in these videos and reactions is blunt: the Adeleke family’s latest moves have confirmed, for many, a long-suspected pattern of using popularity and anti-establishment rhetoric when useful, then aligning with power when convenient. Whether one accepts every allegation or not, the episode has deepened public scepticism toward the intersection of celebrity, family dynasty, and politics in Nigeria.
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Addendum: What Did Timi Dakolo Do?
A separate controversy involving gospel and soul singer Timi Dakolo centres on a public dispute with UK-based promoter Otis Ayodele Kubeyinje (known as Baddest DJ Timmy / DJ Timmy) over an alleged unpaid debt of approximately £4,106 linked to a planned 2026 UK tour that never materialised.
DJ Timmy publicly accused Dakolo of failing to settle expenses related to the tour preparations and issued ultimatums, at one point threatening to expose alleged private matters if payment was not made. Dakolo, through his lawyers, firmly denied any debt, stating that the contractual arrangement placed production, venue, technical, and related costs on the promoter. His team described the claims as false and defamatory, accused the promoter of harassment and cyberbullying, and threatened legal action in both Nigeria and the UK if the statements were not retracted.
There had also been an earlier public exchange in which Dakolo sought payment from a presidential aide over a separate professional engagement, which the aide framed as an institutional rather than personal matter. The DJ Timmy dispute remains a contested claim-and-denial situation between the artist and the promoter, with both sides presenting opposing accounts of the contractual obligations.
These episodes illustrate the wider point raised in the political commentary: public figures, whether musicians or politicians, often face scrutiny when financial or political dealings become public, and audiences are increasingly unwilling to separate the art or the performance from questions of consistency and accountability.