Renowned Nigerian singer and songwriter, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has revealed that his uncle, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, sparked his interest in politics.
The singer disclosed this during his recent appearance as a guest on the +44 Amazon Music podcast.
During the interview, Davido shared his thoughts on why fans expect celebrities to comment on political matters.
According to him, fans see celebrities as publicists who can amplify public views.
“The reason why I feel like they want people [celebrities] to speak is that they feel like we are publicists. First of all, they want to know our opinions,” he said.
Davido further elaborated on the impact of celebrities’ political opinions on their fans.
“Think about it, you are talking on Twitter, you’re a regular person you’re tweeting about politics. You’ve 1000 followers. If you tweet anything, what damage is it going to cost? But if I go and say my real mind, people that are not even thinking the same as me since they are fans will align with me. And I’ve spoken in the past about politics in Nigeria and I got bashed for it,” he explained.
The multiple award-winning artist revealed that his uncle’s experience in politics and his eventual victory in the Osun State gubernatorial elections inspired him to delve into Nigerian politics.
“What made me first get into it [politics], my uncle who is a governor now, he had an election in 2018, he won that election and they changed it. After four years, we came back and we won. The margin was so much this time. So, it was from then that I started involving myself in Nigerian politics,” he said.