Davido, ex-presidential aide trade barbs amid Osun account freeze fallout

Nigerian music star David Adeleke, widely known as Davido, and former presidential aide Bashir Ahmad recently traded sharp criticisms on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter. The public spat was ignited by controversies surrounding the August 15 Osun governorship election.

The dispute began when Davido responded with apparent enthusiasm to a post by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga. Onanuga had shared an update regarding President Bola Tinubu's intervention in the freeze of the Osun State Government's account. The president reportedly had a phone conversation with Governor Ademola Adeleke, Davido's uncle, ordering the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to lift the restriction.

“

I was there live! I witnessed history!!!

Davido, seemingly thrilled by the phone call and suggesting he was present during it, tweeted, "I was there live! I witnessed history!!!" accompanied by Nigerian flag and laughter emojis. This remark drew a pointed response from Ahmad, a former Special Assistant on Digital Communications to the late President Muhammadu Buhari.

“

This tweet is bookmarked. It will serve as a reference for future events. I know you will come back here to lament if the August 15 results don’t go your way.

Ahmad predicted that Davido would later complain on X if the election results did not favor his preferred candidate. "This tweet is bookmarked. It will serve as a reference for future events. I know you will come back here to lament if the August 15 results don’t go your way," Ahmad wrote.

The exchange quickly intensified, moving beyond the Osun account controversy to encompass personal attacks on each other's careers and records. Davido questioned the legitimacy of concerns about electoral manipulation, suggesting a parallel to alleged manipulation of election results by officials. He also brought up Ahmad's defeat in a 2022 All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election, where Ahmad received only 16 votes compared to the winner's 106.

“

Of course, because [the] same way you clowns can call the INEC Chairman to write Election results… guy free me my own no good.

Ahmad, in turn, shifted the focus to Davido's music career, specifically his Grammy Award nominations. "We have talked enough about the number of votes I got in my primaries. Can we now talk about the number of Grammy Awards you have won from your five nominations, David? Fair is fair." He accused Davido of anticipating electoral defeat and preemptively creating an excuse by raising the possibility of rigging.

“

U got 16 votes bro in primaries!!