Dr. Deji Adeleke, father of Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has disclosed that multiple DNA tests conducted in Lagos cleared his son of paternity claims involving a girl identified as Aanu.
Speaking to journalists at his residence in Lagos on Wednesday, the businessman said scientific evidence showed that Davido is not the biological father of the child, who has been at the centre of a long-running paternity dispute.
Adeleke explained that he first became aware of the matter in 2014, when he received a letter from a lawyer in Ibadan alleging that Davido had impregnated a woman, Ayo Labinjoh, and abandoned the child. According to him, the allegation prompted the family to insist on DNA testing to establish the truth.
“I have 14 grandchildren, so what will one more do? I want more grandchildren,” Adeleke said. “But there is science — DNA. If science proves you are my granddaughter, I will gladly accept you.”
He expressed concern over inconsistencies in documents attached to the initial letter, including a birth certificate that listed both the father and mother with the Adeleke surname, a detail he said raised questions about the claim.
Adeleke revealed that three DNA tests were conducted for Davido. Two returned negative results, while the third was declared invalid due to sample contamination. To rule out any possibility of mistaken identity involving Davido’s cousin, Adebayo Adeleke, popularly known as B-Red, two additional tests were conducted on him, both of which also came back negative.
He narrated how the first DNA test was arranged, explaining that he personally coordinated the process and ensured transparency. According to him, the mother of the child, the grandmother and the child were transported from Ibadan to Lagos, where samples were taken at a hospital using saliva swabs and sent to South Africa for analysis.
“When the result came, there was zero per cent possibility that Davido was the girl’s father,” Adeleke said, adding that a second test confirmed the outcome.
Despite the results, he said the family had continued to support the child and her mother financially, including sponsoring their education at the university. He noted, however, that the mother discontinued her studies after two academic sessions, while the girl completed her primary education.
The issue resurfaced in January 2025, when a social media account allegedly linked to Labinjoh posted a plea accusing Davido of abandoning the child and requesting another DNA test, citing claims of bullying at school.
Davido responded on X (formerly Twitter), insisting that multiple DNA tests had already disproved the claim. Labinjoh later countered by sharing alleged private messages between her daughter and the singer.
Adeleke further alleged that a relative of the girl informed him that some of the social media accounts fuelling the allegations were created and managed by a media personality without the family’s approval.
He maintained that the family’s position remained unchanged, stressing that DNA evidence had conclusively settled the matter.
