David Adeleke, Davido, has earned critical acclaim as a successful brand with, grander prospects. He has a face, name and fame bigger in all proportions than his billionaire-father. Both are yet to make it to the Forbes’ rich-list, but if benevolent spirits keep cracking the young man’s kernel, who knows, he might be there before dad. Well, confident, godly fathers always want their children to be greater, especially in their lifetime.
Davido’s larger-than-life social media status is the stuff of kingmakers. His recent N250 million stunt to the needy, practically sealed his legend.
When politicians secure the endorsement of his kind anywhere in the world, they celebrate. Barack Obama came into the consciousness of most Americans, when talk-show queen, Oprah Winfrey publicly endorsement him as one of his earliest backers and one of those who talked the black man into the White House project. Despite her failings in other areas of life, Winfrey is a goddess to many. There is a church where she is the one to pray to. Football legend, late Armando Maradona also had that cult status. When you take their kind on, in public feud, death threats from those you never met and had no dealings whatsoever with, save the courage to look their gods in the face and run your fingers through the ugliness of their features, become common place.
But in all their glory, is also their nakedness, their vacuity, including the greatest entertainer the world has known, Michael Jackson.
Davido’s family is currently embroiled in gubernatorial spat and the superstar is in the middle of it. He wanted his uncle, Demola as governor and his cousin, Bamidele, is showing face. David is publicly taking on his cousin and the centre isn’t holding. That is the first signal the Adelekes, despite their significance in Osun politics, isn’t adroit in the game yet. No, no lover of decency would hoist the Ubas of Anambra as a positive commentary on the nation’s political development, but their deviousness in seeking the office of the governor on different political platforms at the same time, has been kept away from family sanity. If Adelekes can ignore the messengers, there is a togetherness message from the Ubas, even if it is the kind Yoruba will describe as rikisi pawo po (bonding in infamy). At least, don’t come into the open, tearing your cloths. Manage your mess inside and keep the putrid flow within.
The story of David and Goliath is always a best-seller. The underdog winning always makes the victory sweeter and the testimony more pleasant to listen to. Ironically, the one bearing David is the Goliath of the proxy battle he is fighting on behalf of his uncle, the dancing senator. In public consciousness, he is way bigger than Bamidele, even if younger and it is even very likely that Bamidele’s decision to eat what is also making the appetite of his uncle to be on steroid, would have remained a local affair in Ede or at most, a PDP affair in Osun State, if Omo Baba Olowo had not sauntered into the governor-wannabe space, to hurl insult at him, for wanting to be great, like his uncle.
Unfortunately for Davido, for all his slur sessions, Bamidele had handled him with wisdom, proving that a child might have equal cloths like an elder, but can’t and won’t have same amount of rags like him. Whenever Davido rants, Bamidele replies him like a true-born, increasing his stock with the Nigerian people. He is simply making a message for himself out of the family mess, despite the crowd behind Davido, heckling him all the way. In this family contest, Bamidele is the David and his smooth stones, might just strike the right portion of the forehead.
Unfortunately, it won’t be Davido’s forehead. He has a dog in the fight truly, but it isn’t his dog. If a forehead would receive a smooth stone from Bamidele’s sling, it would be Demola’s and just as Biblical Goliath discountenanced the stone and sling to his eternal regret, the Demola/Davido crowd, might realise too late the damage the current drama is doing to the one with bigger ambition of the two Adelekes.
No, I’m not saying Bamidele would wake up tomorrow as the new landlord of Abere. But the more Davido engages him with slur on the social media and his responses keep making the superstar a mockery of the omoluabi concept, it won’t be long before Nigerians would start viewing Demola from the lens of Davido’s immaturity and peskiness. Add the running saga to Demola’s initial personality offering to Nigerians and you wonder if anything has changed, despite the singsong among his supporters that he came back from his political hiatus, better tempered and more insightful.
Considering the ongoing cage-fight in APC where no umpire can call the fight except a party in the crisis is completely vanquished, Demola or whoever wins the PDP ticket, has a fighting chance to unseat Governor Gboyega Oyetola, who has cracked the walls of his closet so much, that Agama lizards now roam about freely.
If the family can’t talk Bamidele out of his governorship adventure, then greater restraint should be called by those that can answer elders in the Adeleke clan. Davido should not be the spokesperson of the family, not because of what anyone wants to be today, but the history those who will answer the name tomorrow, would meet.
I have this feeling Davido can’t be called to order in the family. During Sophia Momodu’s saga, he just took on his father’s friend, Egbon Dele Momodu, without blinking. The social media crowd awarded him a medal because he was the underdog against the media mogul. Now, he has a little-known cousin to fight and the underdog syndrome may bite him big time. Unfortunately, he isn’t the one to feel the pain, it is that merry-making man, whose sight alone, will force a smile out of you.
Even if Bamidele is a confirmed spoiler, Senator Adeleke won’t benefit from Davido’s belligerence towards him. Afterall, he is still an Adeleke, watched and protected his uncle’s votes last time, with attendant risks, when Davido was busy shouting tule and above all, he is entitled to run for governor. The question, is, what changed?
*Written By Lanre Adewole
