• Insists musician remains his son, says APC campaign will focus on peaceful poll
Sunday Ehigiator
Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has distanced himself from comments made in response to an appeal by Nigerian music star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, ahead of the August 15 Osun State governorship election, insisting that he neither authorised nor endorsed the remarks.
In a statement yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary and Special Adviser on Media, Oguwike Nwachuku, the governor said he was not responsible for comments attributed to one Ambrose Nwogwugwu, who had described Davido’s appeal as “emotional blackmail.”
Uzodimma stressed that Nwogwugwu spoke in his personal capacity and did not represent either the governor or the APC Osun State Governorship Campaign Council, which he chairs.
The clarification followed Davido’s reported appeal during a media briefing, where the singer, who is married to an Imo indigene, called on Uzodimma to use his influence as Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Chairman of the APC Osun Governorship Campaign Council to ensure a peaceful election.
Responding, the Imo governor said Davido remained “his son” and assured him that his presence in Osun would be strictly in his capacity as a committed member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and leader of the party’s campaign council.
“I am not an Osun voter,” Uzodimma said, explaining that he would not be participating in the election as an electorate but would only monitor the exercise and canvass support for the APC candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji.
The governor maintained that the APC has consistently advocated peaceful, credible, free and fair elections and would continue to encourage the people of Osun State to vote for its candidate through legitimate democratic engagement.
He said there was nothing undemocratic about party leaders travelling to states to campaign for their candidates, noting that such practices are common in Nigeria’s democratic process.
Uzodimma also reaffirmed his respect for Davido and the people of Osun State, describing it as “non-negotiable.”
He urged the singer, residents of Osun and the general public to disregard Nwogwugwu’s comments, insisting they neither reflected his personal position nor that of the APC campaign council.
According to the governor, the clarification became necessary to prevent what he described as attempts by “mischief makers” to misrepresent the views expressed by Nwogwugwu and link them to his office.
The statement reiterated that Uzodimma’s involvement in the Osun governorship election is limited to supporting the APC campaign and monitoring the electoral process in line with his responsibilities as chairman of the party’s campaign council.