“Are You Not Tired of Dancing?” Okpebholo Mocks Adeleke as Davido Fires Back Ahead of Osun Election

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A fresh political drama has erupted ahead of the August 15 Osun State governorship election after Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo mocked Governor Ademola Adeleke over his trademark dancing, prompting a sharp response from Afrobeats superstar Davido.

Okpebholo made the remarks while campaigning for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, popularly known as Ambo, as the election entered its crucial final days.

Taking aim at Adeleke’s public dancing, the Edo governor asked Osun voters whether they were tired of seeing their governor dance on different occasions.

“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,” Okpebholo said.

He also linked Adeleke’s alleged absence from some governors’ meetings in Abuja to his dancing, while joking about the condition of roads in Osun and suggesting that even his car’s tyre was made to “dance and shake” by the roads.

The comments quickly became a talking point online, adding a celebrity dimension to an already fiercely contested election.

Okpebholo also urged voters to accept any money offered to them by political opponents but vote according to their conscience.

His remarks drew a swift reaction from Davido, Adeleke’s nephew and one of the prominent celebrity figures associated with the governor’s political campaign.

In a video response circulated online, Davido appeared to dismiss Okpebholo’s attack and questioned whether there was anything wrong with Adeleke’s dancing.

“You don see small money, your voice no dey shake again abi? Is there anything wrong with dancing?” Davido said.

The exchange subsequently escalated on social media after Davido shared what appeared to be a West African Examinations Council (WAEC) result purportedly belonging to Okpebholo.

The document, said to have originated from Liberty Comprehensive College, Jos, and dated 2008, circulated widely online. It purportedly showed several low grades, including D7s in Commerce, Economics, Christian Religious Knowledge and English Language, as well as an E8 in Government and a C5 in Mathematics.

However, the authenticity and provenance of the document remain disputed, and it should not be treated as independently verified. The document had also circulated online before the current political exchange.

Neither the document’s circulation nor the social-media dispute establishes the claims made about it as fact.

While the verbal clash between the two camps dominated online conversations, a much more serious controversy has been developing around allegations of vote-buying ahead of the election.

An APC campaign official, Adebayo Adedeji, reportedly alleged that Adeleke’s camp had earmarked about ₦11 million for each ward for vote mobilisation, putting the alleged total at approximately ₦3.6 billion across the state.

The allegation has not been independently established.

Adedeji further alleged that voters were being offered ₦10,000 upfront and promised another ₦10,000 on election day, alongside claims that some voters were allegedly being made to swear religious oaths before receiving money.

Videos circulating online have been presented by political actors as evidence of cash distribution and alleged inducement, but the context, identities of those involved and purpose of the payments would require independent verification before definitive conclusions can be drawn.

Adeleke’s camp has rejected allegations of vote-buying against it, describing the claims as politically motivated and accusing the APC of similar practices. The state government has also characterised some payments made to residents as legitimate palliatives rather than inducements.

The competing accusations come against the backdrop of growing concern from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over vote-buying ahead of the Osun election.

INEC has urged journalists and other stakeholders to treat vote-buying as a major investigative issue and document alleged incidents with sufficient details to assist law-enforcement agencies in investigating and prosecuting offenders.

The commission’s Osun Resident Electoral Commissioner, Oluwatoyin Babalola, has also warned that buying and selling votes are offences and said INEC was working with agencies including the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to tackle the practice.

INEC has separately warned political parties against using the voters’ register for inducement, intimidation or voter manipulation ahead of the August 15 poll. The commission says 2,339,233 registered voters are eligible to participate in the election.

The controversy has also taken another turn after Adeleke recently accused APC agents of allegedly offering money to residents in exchange for their voter cards and PIN information, a claim the governor said could disenfranchise voters. The allegation was made by the governor’s office and has not been independently established.

With less than a week to the election, the battle for Osun has therefore moved beyond campaign promises, with personal attacks, celebrity interventions and allegations of financial inducement dominating public attention.

The August 15 contest is expected to attract intense scrutiny as the major political parties battle for control of the state, while voters, observers and electoral authorities face the challenge of ensuring that the final days of campaigning do not undermine the credibility of the poll.

For now, the “dancing governor” controversy may be dominating social media, but the more consequential question remains whether the allegations of vote-buying and voter inducement will translate into concrete investigations and enforcement before Osun voters head to the polls.