Davido, the Afrobeats star, and Jubril Gawat, the senior special assistant on new media to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Saturday, engaged in a mild argument on social media over their differing political views.
The disagreement started after the Grammy-nominated singer referred to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as “the most dangerous institution in Nigeria”.
Davido’s outburst came amid the controversy surrounding the Edo state governorship election.
The ‘Assurance’ hitmaker accused the electoral body of “incompetence” amid reports of vote buying and the presence of political thugs at some polling units.
“The most dangerous institution in Nigeria @inecnigeria,” he wrote. “Very incompetent @inecnigeria fix up! The world is watching #Edodecides.”
The comment by Davido, a strong supporter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Asue Ighodalo, did not sit well with Gawat, a stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This tweet means ONLY one thing …. https://t.co/ewDGIETxc8
—Jubril A. Gawat (@Mr_JAGs) September 21, 2024
“This tweet means ONLY one thing,” Gawat wrote in a post that appeared to have countered the singer’s claim.
The tweet sparked a response from Davido who wrote: “U go dey here dey tweet nonsense but any time I’m around your principal, nah you go first carry phone with flash like okirika dey blind person eye”.
https://t.co/zrG5Omh9VZ pic.twitter.com/UpNM9xWAle
—Jubril A. Gawat (@Mr_JAGs) September 21, 2024
Gawat responded immediately with footage of the hitmaker praising his principal and referring to Sanwo-Olu as “the real 001” during his wedding ceremony.
On Saturday, residents went to the polls to elect a successor to Governor Godwin Obaseki, who is completing his two-term tenure of eight years.
Seventeen political parties participated in the election, with the major contenders being APC’s Monday Okpebholo, PDP’s Ighodalo, and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP).