Billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Dr Deji Adeleke, has publicly dismissed renewed claims that his son, Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, fathered a child in Ibadan, describing the allegations as false and misleading.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Adeleke blamed controversial social media commentator, Kemi Olunloyo, for what he described as years of impersonation and misinformation surrounding the paternity claim involving a young girl, Anuoluwapo.
The controversy revolves around an Ibadan-based woman, Ayo Labinjo, who alleged that she had a sexual relationship with Davido during one of his visits to the city several years ago and later gave birth to a baby girl, whom she claimed the singer abandoned.
Addressing journalists, Adeleke said he decided to speak out due to the repeated resurfacing of the issue on social media.
“This is my first time addressing the press, and I am doing so for one reason,” he said.
“Every year, this story resurfaces about a child in Ibadan, with claims that my son is the father. These claims are not true.”
Adeleke explained that he first became aware of the allegation in 2014 after receiving a letter from a lawyer in Ibadan, accompanied by photographs, documents, and a birth certificate bearing Davido’s name as the child’s father.
“In the package was a letter from the child’s grandmother, who said she was not asking for marriage or money,” Adeleke said. “She only asked that David take a DNA test and accept responsibility if the child was truly his.”
According to him, he immediately contacted the family and assured them that he would gladly accept the child as his granddaughter if paternity was confirmed.
“I told her clearly that if the child was my granddaughter, there would be no issue at all. I would welcome her into my family,” he said.
Adeleke disclosed that he personally arranged a DNA test at a hospital in Lagos, with samples taken in Nigeria and analysed in South Africa. He said saliva samples were collected from Davido and the child in the presence of all parties involved.
“When the results came out, the probability of paternity was zero per cent,” Adeleke stated.
“The laboratory was very clear—David is not the father of the child.”
He added that despite the negative outcome, he suggested conducting additional DNA tests to eliminate any lingering doubt.
“I even offered to keep the family in Lagos at my own expense so we could do more tests,” he said.
“Multiple tests were eventually conducted, and all of them returned the same result.”
Responding to calls for the DNA reports to be made public, Adeleke said releasing such information would be unsafe and irresponsible.
“It is dangerous for anyone’s DNA profile to be in the public domain,” he said. “This is about security and legal protection, especially where a minor is involved.”
The businessman stressed that his family had no reason to deny a child, noting that he already has several grandchildren.
“I have 14 grandchildren already. What is one more?” he asked. “This is not about money or responsibility. It is about science, and science is clear.”
Adeleke concluded by urging the public to disregard what he described as misleading online narratives, insisting that the recurring claims were driven by impersonation and deliberate misinformation.
