DNA tests cleared Davido in paternity dispute — Father

Dr. Deji Adeleke, father of Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has revealed that DNA tests confirm his son is not the father of a girl, Aanu, who had been at the centre of a controversial paternity dispute.

Adeleke made this known while addressing journalists at his Lagos home on Wednesday.

He explained that the girl is not his son’s child, as proven by DNA tests conducted at multiple hospitals in Lagos.

The businessman said he first learned about the case 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.

Adeleke, who is a grandfather of 14, stressed that while he welcomes grandchildren, science must guide the confirmation of paternity.

 He said, “I have 14 grandchildren, so what will one more do? Is it that I will not be able to afford to do things for her or bring her into my family? I want more grandchildren, but there is science — DNA. If you say you are my granddaughter and science has proven that you are my granddaughter, I would gladly accept you.”

Discussing the lawyer’s letter, Adeleke said the document, which included a picture of the child, Davido, and the mother, also contained the child’s birth certificate.

He questioned the names listed.

“And in that mail also, curiously, there was a birth certificate of the child.”

And what caught my attention was that in the record of the birth certificate, it said the full name of the father: Adeleke David, the full name of the mother: Adeleke Ayotomide. How can she be Adeleke?”

Adeleke said three DNA tests were conducted for Davido. Two came out negative, while the third sample was declared contaminated and spoiled. To rule out mistaken identity with Davido’s cousin, Adebayo Adeleke, known as B-Red, two tests were also conducted for him, which also proved negative.

He narrated his initial steps in handling the case.

“Immediately I saw this letter, even before calling David, I called this woman and said, ‘Look, I’m not speaking to my son yet, but I’m going to speak to him. But I’ll suggest to you to give me your address in Ibadan. I’ll send my driver to come and know where you live, but I can assure you that if this girl is my granddaughter, you have no problems with me; I’ll welcome her into my family happily.’ She was happy. She gave me her address, and I gave the address to my driver.”

Described the DNA test as arranged, Adeleke said, “And I called her, gave her the information that anytime they were ready, I would send my driver to pick them up from Ibadan. So, on the appointed day, I sent my driver to Ibadan. Very early, my driver brought the mother of the child, the grandmother, and the baby. The three of them came.

And because my driver knows Vedic Hospital, they were already there before I came in with David, because I asked David to come here, and his aide, Lati. So David, I, and Lati met them at Vedic Hospital. We went upstairs where the samples were taken.”

Clarifying the procedure, Adeleke said, “So we were all in the same room, and he (the doctor) told us the procedure. It was not blood. I’ve read on social media that they were drawing blood. It’s not. It was not done by blood. It was from their saliva in their mouth. And he told us that these samples would be sent to South Africa for analysis. The grandmother of the baby and I signed that both of us would be the ones to receive the result.”

He revealed the outcome.

“When the result came, there was 0.00 possibility that Davido was the girl’s father. Another test, he said, also turned negative.”

Despite the negative results, Adeleke said he had been sponsoring the education of the girl and her mother at the university, in line with the family’s request. He noted that the mother stopped schooling after two sessions, while the girl completed her primary education.

The paternity dispute resurfaced on January 15, 2025, when an Instagram account reportedly managed by Labinjoh posted a plea to Davido, claiming her daughter had suffered bullying and ridicule at school. The post requested a DNA test to confirm paternity.

Davido dismissed the claims on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “After five DNA tests… she dey crase… she and her mom better leave me the f**k alone and go find her papa.” He emphasized that all tests had been negative.

Labinjoh countered by posting private chats between her daughter and Davido.

Meanwhile, Adeleke claimed that a sister of the girl informed him that the social media accounts alleging Davido had abandoned Aanu and her mother were opened and managed by a media personality without the family’s consent.