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What Politicians Need to Learn from Davido
By Joel Popoola
It is clearly obvious that Nigerians trust pop stars enough to send them money. As a result, politicians need to learn something from Davido.
Imagine if President Buhari used the internet to ask Nigerians to send him the money he needed to pay import taxes on a new Rolls Royce.
How many of us do you think would oblige?
But this is exactly what musician Davido did last week, and the results were astonishing.
“If u know I’ve given you a hit song … send me money” the singer posted on Twitter, alongside details of a bank account.
Within 90 minutes Davido shared a screenshot showing that more than N42 million naira had already been deposited.
The next day a further screenshot showed that the total had risen to N184 million naira, as celebrities, sport stars and companies began boasting of their donations.
Some fans questioned the morality of a performer who frequently shares photos of himself posing on private jets asking fans with only a few naira to their name to send him their cash.
“Someone who isn’t in need encouraging people who are likely in need and who have much less than them to send them money is weird in a country where only a small tiny per cent have up to N500k in their account” said one.
Others clearly felt very differently.
“I did it out of love. I know he is much richer than me and people saying why would I do that,” one fan told the BBC.
“It feels like one of my aims has been achieved. It’s rare for a fan to transact with a celebrity.”
Davido has subsequently revealed that all donations will be given to orphanages alongside a large personal donation.
But the episode contains crucial lessons for our political leaders, who – it’s fair to say – do not inspire the same devotion as Davido.
One recent study suggests that just 24% of Nigerians trust the government.
72% of Nigerians believe the statement “most politicians are corrupt” describes our country well – and 60% say it describes Nigeria “very well”.
Only 39% of Nigerians are satisfied with the way democracy is working in our country, while 60% say they are not satisfied.
These figures undoubtedly contribute to the worst voter turnout in West Africa – 36% at the last presidential election, compared to 68% in Ghana.
It’s fair to say that many of us begrudge paying our taxes, given the likelihood that some of them will lend up in the back pocket of a corrupt official. I expect practically no-one would be willing to pay to get their local politician’s luxury car through customs!
Of course, Davido had some advantages over politicians. He doesn’t have a decades long record of broken promises and corruption – only a back catalogue of hit records.
But part of his popularity stems from his engagement with his fans on social media. And this is a lesson Nigerian politicians have to learn. Davido’s fans feel like they know him. They feel like he knows them in return. They feel like they have a relationship with him.
At the digital democracy project I lead we are using social media to reconnect electors and the elected. Our free Rate Your Leader app is designed to helps politicians engage directly with voters on a person to person basis – helping them understand what matters most to the people who elect them and build relationships of trust with the electorate.
To many Nigerians politicians can feel like very remote – even irrelevant– figures. Apps like Rate Your Leader can bridge that divide and make it clear to local people how vital their work is and how committed to their communities they are.
Rate Your Leader also allows voters to put questions directly to decision makers – and rate the quality of answers they receive. In the digital era, user reviews are everything to consumers. People visit restaurants because customers have rated them highly on TripAdvisor. People buy online because consumers have rated products highly on Amazon. And we believe that people will vote for politicians that have proven that they are credible, trustworthy and responsive – and have the independent ratings to prove it.
We’re not saying that using social media tools like Rate Your Leader to engage with residents will end up with them posting bank notes to the state house.
But it can make them feel real, relevant and relatable. And that in turn is vital for our democracy.
Joel Popoola is a Nigerian tech entrepreneur, digital demcocracy campaigner and is creator of the Rate Your Leader app. He can be reached via @JOPopoola
By Eric Elezuo
The governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
A letter signed by the governor himself and dated November 4, 2025 revealed that the governor dumped the party about a month before coming out public with the announcement.
Confirming the resignation via a statement, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, wrote;
“Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has resigned his membership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) since November 4th, 2025.
“The letter was addressed to the PDP Chairman for ward 2, Sagba Abogunde of
Ede North Local government, Osun State.
“The letter reads as follows: ‘Due to the current crisis within the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), I hereby resign my membership of the PDP with immediate effect.
‘I thank the Peoples Democratic Party for the opportunities given to me for my elections as a Senator (Represented Osun West) and as Governor of Osun State under the Peoples Democratic Party”, the governor noted in the letter personally signed by him.’
Neither the letter nor the spokesperson’s statement suggested the governor’s next port of call even as political parties in the state are in the season of primaries to elect flag bearers for the 2026 governorship election in the state.
By Eric Elezuo
The Minister of Defence, Alhaji Abubakar Mohammed Badaru, and a two-term former governor of Jigawa State, has resigned his appointment. This is shortly after the former Chief of Defence Staff, General Chris Musa (retd) visited Aso Rock Villa, and had a closed door meeting with President Bola Tinubu.
The resignation, which is with immediate effect, according to statement credited to the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, is contained in a letter dated December 1, 2025, and addressed to President Bola Tinubu. Badaru, who is 63 years, quoted health grounds as reason for quitting his job.
The statement added that “President Tinubu has accepted the resignation and thanked Abubakar for his services to the nation.
“President Tinubu will likely inform the Senate of Badaru’s successor later this week.
His resignation comes amid President Tinubu’s declaration of a national security emergency, with plans to elaborate on its scope in due course.
He served as defence minister for 27 months since August 21, 2023.
The immediate past Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has responded to Governor Monday Okpebholo, insisting that no one can bar him from entering Benin City, the State capital.
Obaseki’s response followed Okpebholo’s claim that the former governor would not return to the State because he is allegedly unpopular with the people.
Okpebholo stated this during an interview at the weekend that Edo remains firmly behind President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, citing what he described as the President’s achievements in the State. He added that he would resign if Tinubu fails to secure re-election in 2027.
He further claimed that Obaseki lacks the courage to visit the State to campaign for anyone other than Tinubu, alleging that the former governor would face rejection from residents, including children, due to what he described as Obaseki’s poor governance record.
“Everybody is for Asiwaju, who is Obaseki? Does he have one anywhere here? Let him come here now. He cannot come. His poor record will prevent him from going to Edo.
“Obaseki dares not come here. If Asiwaju does not win his re-election, I will resign as a governor,” he declared.
In a viral video on Monday, Obaseki countered that Okpebholo, whom he referred to as a man from a village in Edo State, lacks the authority to stop him from entering the State.
The former governor added that he deliberately avoided commenting on Okpebholo’s administration since leaving office, to allow his successor room to perform.
“When you start with violence, you will reap violence. For one year since I left office, I have not said a word on his government, I have said to myself that I would give them the opportunity to shine.
“Suddenly, he started attacking my personality and threatening me. That was enough; he brought people to Manchester to attack me.
“This week, this governor had a disgraceful press conference, where he was threatening me. Somebody born in Oredo. This is a villager threatening me that I cannot come to Benin, and that when I come, he will show me. Me! When I am ready to go, we will all come. This is an insult,” he said.
