The Edo State Government has denied reports that Afrobeats superstar David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has been banned from entering or performing in the state following his public disagreement with Governor Monday Okpebholo.
The controversy emerged after Apostle Kassy Chukwu, identified as the governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Digital Media, warned Davido against performing in Edo for the remainder of Okpebholo’s administration.
“You have been banned from coming to Edo State to perform. We don’t want to see you in Edo again,” Chukwu said in a video that circulated online.
The aide’s remarks followed a political dispute that developed during the build-up to the Osun State governorship election. Davido, whose uncle Ademola Adeleke was seeking re-election, had criticised Okpebholo after the Edo governor made comments about the Osun governor.
Davido subsequently shared what appeared to be Okpebholo’s WAEC result on Instagram and later defended his decision, saying he had no reason to apologise.
However, Edo Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kassim Afegbua, later distanced the state government from the reported ban. He described the person who announced it as an “impostor” and said the government had not authorised such a decision.
Afegbua stated that Davido remained welcome in Edo and that the state would even be willing to collaborate with him if he wished to perform there in the future.
The clarification is significant because the dispute has attracted considerable public attention, linking Nigeria’s entertainment industry with the increasingly competitive political environment surrounding the Osun election.
Davido has maintained a high-profile involvement in politics, particularly in support of his uncle, while Okpebholo is a prominent All Progressives Congress figure.
The latest development suggests that the purported ban was not an official Edo State government policy. For now, the disagreement remains largely a political and public-relations controversy rather than a formal restriction on Davido’s movement or performances in the state.
