WHY DAVIDO SHOULD APOLOGISE TO OKPEBHOLO OVER WAEC RESULT TROLL — LAWYER
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By:Tajudeen Aminat
A legal practitioner and author, Timothy Tugbiyele, has urged Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, to apologise to Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, over a social media post featuring the governor’s alleged West African Examinations Council (WAEC) result.
Tugbiyele made the call in a video that has gone viral after it was initially shared on Facebook on Monday, while reacting to the ongoing political exchanges ahead of the August 15 Osun State governorship election.
Davido had on Friday shared what appeared to be Okpebholo’s WAEC result on his Instagram Story, shortly after the Edo governor mocked Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke over his frequent dancing.
Okpebholo made the remark while campaigning for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the Osun governorship election, Bola Oyebamiji, popularly known as AMBO.
The Edo governor had criticised Adeleke’s leadership style, saying, “Before somebody signs paper, he will dance. Are you not tired? For four years, this man has been dancing. Before he takes breakfast, before he drinks tea, he will dance.”
Davido, who has been openly campaigning for his uncle, Adeleke, subsequently posted the alleged WAEC result of Okpebholo without any caption.
Reacting to the development, Tugbiyele said Davido should not have personally responded to the governor’s comments.
He said, “I watched a video when Governor Okpebholo called the governor of my state, Adeleke, the dancing governor. And the governor’s relation, David Adeleke, replied by publishing the WAEC Secondary School leaving result of Governor Okpebholo, the governor of Edo State.”
While acknowledging that the alleged result was unimpressive, the lawyer said it was inappropriate for Davido to use it to ridicule the governor.
“The result is not good enough, but it’s possible. The governor did a resit. We are not aware of that, but I think Davido, David Adeleke’s publication is inappropriate,” he said.
Tugbiyele argued that Adeleke could have responded to Okpebholo through official channels rather than allowing Davido to engage the Edo governor.
“Governor Adeleke, Ademola Adeleke, would have replied his contemporary governor, or caused one of his workers, maybe a commissioner of information or a special assistant, to reply. Not Davido, David Adeleke,” he said.
The lawyer also stressed that Davido and Okpebholo occupy different positions and should therefore not engage each other on the same level.
“David Adeleke and the governor of the state, they are not in the same social class. They are not of the same status. They are not in the same class,” he added.
Describing Davido’s post as disrespectful, Tugbiyele appealed to the singer to apologise to the Edo governor.
“I think what Davido did is disrespectful and I will plead with him, he should exercise some humility and apologise,” he said.
He recalled seeing photographs of Davido prostrating before elders and described the singer as a well-brought-up Yoruba man.
“I’ve seen his pictures in time past, prostrating. He’s a properly well-brought-up Yoruba boy,” Tugbiyele said.
The lawyer further rejected the argument that the incident should be regarded simply as part of political rivalry, stressing that political disagreements should not descend into personal attacks or disrespect.
“I have heard it said by one of the political leaders that everything is fair in politics. No, when you are fighting below the belt, when you are insulting, when you disrespect elders, that is not fair in politics,” he said.
Tugbiyele urged Davido’s elders to caution him, while maintaining that Okpebholo’s earlier remarks did not justify the singer’s response.
“You do not disrespect elders. He should apologise to Okpebholo. I’m not saying what Okpebholo did is right, to disrespect his uncle, but it should not be an eye for an eye,” he said.
He also argued that an individual’s academic performance at one point in life should not be used to define the person’s entire life or achievements.
Drawing from his personal experience, Tugbiyele said he had also recorded poor academic results but was encouraged by his father to keep going.
“So, oh, Governor Okpebholo had a result that was not good enough. He’s governor today. All of that, the bad result is in the past. Politics does not really have to go to that extent,” he said.
Tugbiyele concluded with a direct appeal to the singer: “Davido, David Adeleke, please, as a proper Yoruba, please apologise to Governor Okpebholo. God bless you, David. God bless Nigeria.”
The controversy comes amid heightened political activities in Osun State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election, with Davido publicly backing Adeleke’s bid for a second term.
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