Recently, when Nigerian music superstar Davido trends, it is usually for a hit song, a sold-out concert, or a major career milestone. On January 15, 2026, however, his name returned to the centre of public conversation for a very different reason. It centred on a renewed paternity controversy involving a teenage girl known as Anu Adeleke.
The story is not new, but recent events have brought it back into the spotlight, raising questions about identity, celebrity responsibility, and how private issues unfold in the public eye.
Davido: A Global Star with a Very Public Life
David Adedeji Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, was born on November 21, 1992, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He was raised in Lagos, Nigeria, where he later began his music career. He rose to fame in 2011 with the release of Dami Duro, a song that quickly established him as a major force in Nigerian pop music.
Over the years, Davido has grown into one of Africa’s most successful and influential artists. His albums, including Omo Baba Olowo (2012), A Good Time (2019), A Better Time (2020), Timeless(2023) and Five (2025) have produced hit songs that crossed borders and helped push Afrobeats onto the global stage.
By the mid-2020s, Davido was no longer just a Nigerian star but an international performer, collaborating with global artists and performing on some of the world’s biggest stages. Alongside his career, his personal life has remained a constant topic of public interest.
Davido is married to Chioma Rowland and is a father to children he has publicly acknowledged. He has spoken openly about fatherhood, love, and loss, especially following the tragic death of his son in 2022. These experiences have shaped how fans view him not just as an artist, but as a human being navigating life in the public eye.
Who Is Anu Adeleke?
Anu Adeleke, whose full name is Anuoluwapo Mitchel Adeleke, is a 12 year old girl who has been linked to Davido through a long-running paternity claim made by her mother. The claim dates back to 2014, around the period when Davido was rising to fame.
According to her mother, Davido is Anu’s biological father. Davido has consistently denied this claim.
For years, the issue stayed mostly on the edges of public discussion, occasionally resurfacing in blogs and interviews. However, as social media grew more powerful and Anu got older, the story became more personal and more public.
By 2023, Anu had developed an online presence where she openly identified herself as Davido’s daughter. This self-identification, combined with her age and growing visibility, added emotional weight to the situation and drew stronger reactions from the public.
A Dispute That Spans More Than a Decade
The disagreement over Anu’s paternity is not sudden. Reports indicate that DNA testing was conducted years ago after the claim first became public. Davido and his representatives have repeatedly stated that the results of those tests showed he is not Anu’s father.
Over time, Anu’s mother challenged the credibility of the tests, raising concerns about how they were carried out. This back-and-forth created a situation where both sides maintained opposing positions, with no shared conclusion accepted by everyone involved.
For years, the matter appeared to go quiet, with Davido focusing on his career and Anu growing up away from the spotlight. That calm did not last.
January 2026: The Story Returns to the Spotlight
On January 15, 2026, Anu Adeleke posted a heartfelt message on social media, marking the beginning of a renewed wave of attention to the long-running paternity dispute between her and Davido. In the post, Anu introduced herself as she transitions into her teenage years and explained that she wanted to establish her identity by requesting a DNA test from Davido.
In her message, she recounted the emotional and mental challenges she has faced since childhood. Anu said she had been bullied in school since she was six years old, often crying at home after classmates mocked her for claiming that Davido was her father. She described undergoing psychotherapy to protect her mental health during these difficult years. Despite these challenges, she excelled academically, rising to the top of her class and becoming class prefect. She also shared that some of her school report cards had been posted on the account in the past, demonstrating her consistent achievements.
Anu explained that the account she was using had been dormant for five years because her mother had not updated it, but she felt compelled to speak out now. She emphasized that she wrote the message herself, without help from relatives, and framed her request as personal and respectful, saying:
“As I transition into a young woman, I am respectfully asking Mr David Adeleke, Singer @davido, for a DNA test to establish my identity. This test is between my dad and I. It is something I want. It is something that’s the right thing to do. Please sir, consider my request once you read this post.”
Anu thanked Nigerians who had offered her emotional support over the past seven years and stressed that the DNA test was important for her own sense of identity, not for publicity or any other reason. She signed the post with her full name, Anuoluwapo Adeleke, and noted her location as Ibadan, Nigeria.
Her message quickly gained attention online, sparking discussions across social media and entertainment platforms. Many expressed sympathy for her struggles and supported her right to seek clarity about her parentage. Others debated the appropriateness of handling such a deeply personal issue publicly, highlighting the challenges of navigating private family disputes in the age of social media.
By the end of that day, Anu’s post had set the stage for the next chapter of the story, which would later include responses from Davido and statements from her mother, Ayo Labinjoh, further intensifying public interest in the unfolding drama.
The conversation escalated further when Anu shared another post following Davido’s public response earlier that day. In the new message, she expressed distress over Davido’s reaction to her request.
In the post, Anu claimed that Davido responded harshly to her privately and publicly, saying she felt bullied and threatened simply for seeking to establish her identity. She also accused him of publicly insulting her mother and disputed his claim that multiple DNA tests had been conducted.
According to Anu, Davido had previously mentioned only two DNA tests but later stated that five tests had been done, including one allegedly conducted on her 10th birthday. She countered this by stating that, according to her mother, only one DNA test was ever carried out, which she claimed was arranged by a member of the Adeleke family and later described by her mother as unreliable. She referenced a detailed statement previously posted by her mother and pinned on her page to support this claim.
Anu thanked members of the public and the media who had shown her emotional support earlier that day and added that her mother would later release private messages related to the issue. She ended the post by stating that her mother has since moved on with her life. See screenshots of post below:
Davido’s Response
Davido responded shortly after the post gained attention. Writing on X (formerly Twitter), he firmly rejected the request for another DNA test. He stated that multiple DNA tests had already been conducted in the past, and according to him, all the results confirmed that he is not Anu’s biological father.
He explained that the tests were done at different times and included facilities chosen by both parties to ensure fairness. Davido also denied having a personal relationship with Anu’s mother beyond the period when the testing process took place.
Clearly frustrated, he described the renewed claim as reopening a matter he believed had long been settled. He made it clear that he would not participate in any further DNA testing and said he was done addressing the issue publicly. See screenshot of post below:
Ayo Labinjoh Speaks: Anu’s Mother Breaks Her Silence
As the controversy intensified, Anu Adeleke’s mother, Ayo Labinjoh, shared a lengthy post on Instagram offering her own account of events and responding directly to Davido’s public statements. In the message, she introduced herself by name and strongly rejected labels that had circulated online, saying she is neither Davido’s “baby mama” nor a sex worker, but a mother focused on protecting her daughter’s mental health.
Labinjoh stated that Anu had suffered years of bullying because of the unresolved paternity dispute, claiming her daughter experienced emotional distress, fainted in school at one point, and underwent psychotherapy. She said the family had largely moved on from the issue until it resurfaced publicly in January 2026.
In her post, Labinjoh disputed Davido’s claim that multiple DNA tests had been conducted. She alleged that what was presented to the public as DNA testing was flawed and misleading. According to her account, in 2014, Dr Deji Adeleke arranged for Anu’s blood to be drawn at what she described as a laboratory rather than a certified hospital. She claimed the blood sample was later discarded without her knowledge and that a result was produced regardless.
She further alleged that Bobo Ajudua, identified as Davido’s former lawyer, had previously told the public that two DNA tests were conducted and that she selected the hospital involved, a claim she denied. Labinjoh said this narrative later changed from two tests to five, which she described as inconsistent and untrue.
Labinjoh also referenced an individual named Wale Sobola, whom she alleged acted as a laboratory technician under the name “Dr Alex.” According to her statement, Sobola is the brother of Nollywood actress Sotayo Gaga. She claimed he publicly stated years later that no valid DNA test was ever completed for Anu and that the blood sample taken was discarded.
In addition to the written statement, Labinjoh shared a video of an alleged Instagram chat between Davido and Anu. In the chat, Davido repeatedly denied being Aanu’s father and promised to publish all 5 paternity test results in a newspaper publication to clear all doubts.
In the caption accompanying the chat, she accused Davido of sending messages she described as threatening and verbally abusive toward her and her daughter. She stated that Anu was bullied and intimidated for seeking clarity about her identity.
Labinjoh said her daughter is not seeking conflict or financial gain but is fighting for her right to know the truth about her paternity. She emphasized that Anu did not choose to be born into controversy and should not be subjected to harassment over circumstances beyond her control.
In the closing part of her statement, Labinjoh said she intends to request the involvement of the United States State Department, asking that the U.S. Embassy in Lagos or Abuja help supervise what she described as a clean, independent, and transparent DNA test. She added that she would not say much more for now, citing concern over the language used against her daughter and the emotional toll of the situation. See clip of Davido and Aanu’s conversation and caption of post below:
Where Things Stand Now
As of now, the positions remain unchanged. Davido maintains that he is not Anu Adeleke’s father and says the matter is closed. Anu, on the other hand, has publicly asked for clarity and recognition, saying she wants peace of mind as she grows older.
Whether the controversy ends here or resurfaces again in the future remains to be seen. For now, it stands as one of the most talked-about personal stories connected to one of Africa’s biggest music stars.
Discussion about this post