Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, and House of Representatives member James Faleke traded public accusations over the weekend after the singer accused the lawmaker of pressuring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to alter the outcome of Saturday’s Osun State governorship election, which his uncle, Governor Ademola Adeleke, went on to win.
As collation of results proceeded in Osogbo on Saturday, Davido posted on X accusing Faleke, who represents the Ikeja Federal Constituency of Lagos State of putting pressure on INEC to change the outcome of the poll. “Hon. James Faleke, stop putting pressure on INEC to change Osun election result. Respect the wishes of Osun people. We don’t want Oyetola and AMBO,” Davido wrote, referring to former Osun governor Gboyega Oyetola and APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, popularly known by his initials AMBO.
The allegation came amid a broader wave of accusations from Davido during the collation process. He separately called out Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, Ogun State Senator Olamilekan Adeola, and Faleke together, alleging in another post that the trio were “making extra moves to upturn the results” while in Osogbo. Davido, who serves as head of youth mobilisation for his uncle’s re-election campaign, had been an active and vocal presence throughout the collation period.
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Faleke, who had travelled to Osun to support APC candidate Oyebamiji, rejected the allegation in a post on X on Sunday. He argued that his presence in the state was no different from Davido’s own involvement in backing Governor Adeleke and the Accord Party. “I came to Osun to support my party’s candidate, while you supported your uncle’s party (Accord). INEC is a body that can’t be influenced by me or anyone else,” Faleke wrote.
He went further, denying any history of electoral interference: “I have never influenced or rigged before, and I don’t plan to start now. Face your music while we face our politics.”
The tone of the exchange shifted once INEC formally declared Adeleke the winner of the election, with the governor polling 511,067 votes against Oyebamiji’s 444,815. Faleke followed up with a more conciliatory post, congratulating Adeleke on his re-election and describing Oyebamiji’s performance in the contest as a “very good outing,” praising the APC candidate’s commitment and sportsmanship during the race. Faleke also commended INEC for the conduct of the election and security agencies for maintaining what he called a peaceful and orderly process, describing the outcome as evidence that democracy remained vibrant in Nigeria.
The dispute unfolded against a backdrop of heightened political tension throughout the collation process, with Governor Adeleke separately alleging attempts to disrupt or bypass proper collation procedures and raising concerns directly with President Bola Tinubu. Davido’s allegations against Faleke, Bamidele and Adeola have not been independently corroborated, and none of the reports reviewed indicated any confirmation from INEC that its process had been improperly influenced.
