The singer responds after the AAC leader criticised Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke ahead of Saturday’s governorship election
Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, on Friday, August 14, 2026, hit back at African Action Congress leader Omoyele Sowore after the politician criticised Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
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The exchange added a sharp celebrity-political moment to an already tense final day of campaigning in Osun, where Adeleke is seeking another term in office.
Sowore, who has been critical of the governor’s administration, accused Adeleke of lacking the capacity to lead the state and criticised the condition of Osogbo, the state capital.
“Demola Adeleke @AAdeleke_01 has no brains. Has nothing upstairs. The state capital, Osogbo looks like a war zone with no basic infrastructure,” Sowore wrote.
Davido responded with the Yoruba expression “arindin”, an insulting term used to describe someone considered foolish or lacking good judgement.
The brief response quickly attracted attention online, with the singer’s intervention adding another layer to the increasingly personal exchanges surrounding the election.
The disagreement is not entirely unexpected. Davido is Adeleke’s nephew and has been openly involved in his uncle’s re-election campaign.
In April, Adeleke appointed the singer as head of youth mobilisation for the campaign, giving the entertainer a formal role in efforts to attract younger voters.
Sowore, meanwhile, has remained a prominent critic of Nigeria’s political establishment and is expected to continue using the Osun contest to challenge the record of the incumbent administration.
His latest criticism centred on infrastructure and governance in Osogbo, rather than simply the personalities involved in the contest.
The Davido Sowore clash comes as the campaign period draws to a close and political rhetoric in Osun has intensified.
The election is scheduled for Saturday, August 15, with Adeleke among the leading contenders.
The governor is seeking re-election after winning the 2022 governorship election, when he defeated the then incumbent Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress.
This year’s contest has attracted particular attention because of the wider political realignment in Osun.
Adeleke is contesting on the Accord platform, while Bola Oyebamiji is the APC candidate and other opposition parties are also seeking to unseat the incumbent.
Davido has remained an unusually visible figure in the campaign, combining his popularity as one of Nigeria’s biggest music stars with his family connection to the governor.
His involvement has also occasionally drawn him into political controversies. On Friday, he raised concerns about the integrity of the election and questioned the presence of an electoral official from Ebonyi State in Osun, further underscoring his active interest in the poll.
The latest exchange therefore goes beyond a brief social media quarrel.
It reflects the increasingly charged atmosphere surrounding an election in which questions about governance, infrastructure, political influence and electoral credibility have all become part of the public conversation.
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As voters prepare to cast their ballots, the attention will ultimately shift from social media exchanges to the result at the polling units, where Osun residents will decide whether Adeleke retains the governorship or hands power to one of his challengers.
Victory Emmanuel is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
