The father of Afrobeats star Davido, Adedeji Adeleke, has dismissed renewed paternity claims linking his son to a minor, Anuoluwapo Michelle Adeleke, alleging that controversial journalist Kemi Olunloyo is behind what he described as a prolonged campaign of impersonation and defamation.
Mr Adeleke addressed the issue during a press briefing on Wednesday at his residence in Lagos, with PREMIUM TIMES in attendance following the resurfacing of the long-running paternity dispute involving the singer and the 12-year-old girl, who recently appealed on social media for a fresh DNA test.
‘I have 14 grandchildren’
Mr Adeleke said the claims that Davido fathered the child were false, stressing that his family had handled the matter transparently over the years.
“To start with, let me put it on record that I have 14 grandchildren. And I’ll tell you the story about Anuoluwapo and what has happened since,” he said.
He disclosed that the family first became aware of the allegation in 2014, when he received a letter from a lawyer in Ibadan claiming that Davido had impregnated a woman and abandoned the child.
“I received a letter in 2014 from a lawyer in Ibadan alleging that my son, David, got somebody pregnant and abandoned the person with the child. I took immediate action,” he stated.
Impersonation allegation, legal action
At the centre of Mr Adeleke’s claims is an allegation that Ms Olunloyo impersonated the minor online to attack Davido.
The 68-year-old billionaire read a message he said was sent by Anu’s aunt, denying ownership of a social media account allegedly used to post statements attributed to the child.
“She said, ‘My mum or I do not run the account. The account is run by Kemi Olunloyo, with whom we cut ties years ago. We have reached out to her several times to stop posting anything about Anu.”
The singer’s dad questioned the legality of impersonating a minor and accused Ms Olunloyo of persistently targeting his son.
“This Kemi Olunloyo has been after my son David for many years. Everything she says about David is always negative,” he said.
Reacting to claims allegedly made by Ms Olunloyo about his wife, he added, “How can this Kemi say that she drove my wife to the hospital? The woman is a lunatic.”
Mr Adeleke said the family is considering legal action over what he described as sustained defamation.
“We are going to consider suing her,” he said, adding that the allegations had become excessive and damaging.
DNA tests conducted
According to Mr Adeleke, five DNA tests have been conducted over the years, all of which showed that Davido is not the biological father of the child.
He revealed that the most recent test result, which he presented at the briefing, indicated 0.00 per cent paternity, adding that the document was jointly signed by him and the grandmother of the alleged child.
“All other DNA tests of Davido’s children read 99.9 per cent,” he said, questioning the persistence of the allegations.
“Why will somebody be deliberately maligning a person?” he asked.
The founder of Adeleke University added that he is financially capable of caring for the child if Davido were indeed the father, describing the controversy as unnecessary and taken too far.
Family support
The billionaire businessman said he personally supported Anu’s family for several years, including offering to sponsor the child’s mother, Ayotomide Labinjoh, through school.
“I volunteered to sponsor the mother to school so she could take care of the child, but she deferred in year two,” he said.
He explained that Anu’s aunt, the younger sister of her mother, had been responsible for caring for the child, her grandmother and her mother, noting that he regularly sent money for school fees and upkeep.
“She always sent receipts and pictures as evidence of things bought for Anu,” he said, adding that he covered the child’s school fees until last year.
Mr Adeleke stressed that Davido was “not aware” of his private support for the family.
He also argued that there is “no point” in conducting a fresh test, as the already done test does not prove otherwise.
“I did not discuss it with David or anybody,” he said.
Background
The long-running paternity dispute resurfaced in January after Anuoluwapo made a public appeal on Instagram requesting a fresh DNA test, citing years of bullying and emotional distress.
READ ALSO: Alleged Babymama, daughter, Davido clash over paternity claims
Davido responded on X , insisting that multiple DNA tests had already been conducted and returned negative results.
However, the girl’s mother disputes this account, maintaining that only one DNA test was carried out in 2014 and alleging irregularities. She has since called for a fresh, independently supervised test.
Mr Adeleke has said the matter was conclusively resolved and blamed the renewed controversy on impersonation and misinformation.
Public attention intensified following Ms Olunloyo’s involvement.
The journalist has since rejected the Adeleke family’s version of events, publishing what she described as the result of a 2014 DNA test and insisting it was the only verified test conducted.
She has also claimed long-standing advocacy for the child and her mother, including facilitating the child’s schooling.
Davido, however, has dismissed arguments based on physical resemblance and reiterated that all DNA tests conducted showed he is not the child’s father.
