Davido’s father breaks silence, says DNA tests exclude singer as child’s parent

By Folashade Olorunfemi –

Dr Deji Adeleke, father of Afrobeats star David ‘Davido’ Adeleke, has publicly addressed renewed paternity claims involving his son, saying multiple DNA tests have conclusively shown that the teenage girl at the centre of the controversy is not Davido’s child.

Speaking at a press briefing that circulated widely on Wednesday, Dr Adeleke said the family had subjected the claim to thorough scientific verification after it first emerged in 2014. The allegation was brought by a family in Ibadan, Oyo State, who claimed that a woman, Ayo Labinjo, had a relationship with Davido during the early years of his music career and later gave birth to a girl named Anu.

The issue resurfaced recently after a social media account, said to be linked to the child, appealed to Davido to undergo another DNA test. The renewed appeal followed an open letter allegedly written by the 12-year-old girl, who claimed she was being bullied at school over uncertainty about her paternity.

Dr Adeleke said he initially became aware of the claim after receiving a package from Ibadan containing photographs of Davido and the child, a birth certificate listing Davido as the father, and a letter from the child’s grandmother requesting a paternity test. According to him, the grandmother stressed that the family was not seeking marriage or financial gain, but clarity and responsibility if the claim proved true.

He explained that he immediately contacted the family and arranged a DNA test at a specialist hospital in Lagos, with samples analysed in South Africa. Saliva samples were taken from both Davido and the child in the presence of all parties, and the results were jointly collected by himself and the child’s grandmother.

“The result stated that the probability of paternity was zero per cent,” Dr Adeleke said, adding that DNA evidence does not change regardless of how many times the test is conducted.

Despite the initial outcome, he said he personally recommended additional tests to remove any lingering doubts and offered to cover accommodation and logistics costs for the family in Lagos. He noted that further tests were conducted at other reputable centres, all producing the same result.

Dr Adeleke dismissed suggestions that the family was unwilling to accept another child, pointing out that he already has 14 grandchildren. He also rejected calls for the DNA reports to be made public, citing security and legal concerns over releasing sensitive genetic information.

The businessman accused social media commentator Kemi Olunloyo of impersonating the alleged daughter online and spreading misinformation, denying claims that she had any personal relationship with his family.

He concluded by urging the public to ignore what he described as misleading online narratives, insisting that the matter had been settled scientifically and that the Adeleke family had nothing to hide.