The Presidency has criticised Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, over his social media activities during the August 15 Osun State governorship election.

Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said Davido would not have been able to make similar comments in countries such as Rwanda or Ethiopia without being required to provide evidence for his claims.

Ajayi made the remarks during an interview with Symfoni TV while discussing Davido’s involvement in the Osun election.

According to the presidential aide, Davido was not a neutral observer during the election but an active supporter of his uncle, Governor Ademola Adeleke, who won the poll.

“Davido was an active participant in the process. He went all out for his uncle to win the election. He was part of the process and even held a position in the campaign structure,” Ajayi said.

He argued that Davido’s social media posts during the election were politically motivated rather than driven solely by concern for the people of Osun State.

“So he wasn’t speaking or tweeting out of love for the people of the state. All his tweets, all his activities were partisan. He wanted his uncle to win,” he added.

Ajayi acknowledged that Nigeria’s democratic system guarantees freedom of speech and allows citizens to express their views on social media.

However, he cautioned against making what he described as reckless allegations without evidence, saying such statements could potentially inflame tensions.

“It’s just that we are in a democratic society where there is freedom of speech. People are allowed to say whatever they want to say on social media,” he said.

“Davido can’t dare say or tweet all of those things in countries like Rwanda or Ethiopia. He will be picked up to come and provide evidence. You don’t make reckless claims that you don’t have evidence of. These things are capable of inciting the public into violence,” Ajayi added.

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