Dr. Deji Adeleke, father of Afrobeats musician David Adeleke, often known as Davido, has disclosed that DNA testing shows his son is not the father of a girl named Aanu, who was the subject of a contentious paternity case.
Adeleke made the announcement while speaking to journalists at his Lagos home on Wednesday.
He said that the girl is not his son’s child, as evidenced by DNA testing conducted at multiple Lagos hospitals.
The businessman said he first learned of the situation in 2014, when he received a letter from an Ibadan lawyer stating that Davido had impregnated a woman named Ayo Labinjoh and abandoned the kid.
Adeleke, a grandfather of 14, emphasized that, while he embraces grandkids, paternity confirmation must be guided by science.
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.”
Speaking on 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.
Adeleke questioned the names listed, saying, “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, and the full name of the mother: Adeleke Ayotomide. How can she be Adeleke?”
Adeleke stated that three DNA tests were conducted on Davido. Two tests came back negative, while the third was pronounced infected and rotten. To rule out a mistaken identity with Davido’s cousin, Adebayo Adeleke, also known as B-Red, two tests were performed on him, which were likewise negative.
He described his first actions in managing the situation, saying, “Immediately I saw this letter, and 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.”
Speaking on the DNA test as arranged, Adeleke said, “And I called her and 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.”
Speaking on the procedure, Davido’s father 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.”
“When the result came, there was a 0.00 possibility that Davido was the girl’s father. Another test, he said, also turned negative.”
Despite the bad results, Adeleke stated that he had been financing the girl’s and her mother’s studies at the university at the family’s desire. He observed that the mother dropped out after two sessions, although the girl completed her primary education.
The paternity dispute reappeared on January 15, 2025, when an Instagram account allegedly operated by Labinjoh sent an appeal to Davido, alleging her daughter had been bullied and ridiculed at school. The advertisement asked for a DNA test to prove paternity.
Davido refuted the claims on X, saying, “After five DNA tests… she dey craze… 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 responded by publishing private messages between her daughter and Davido.
Meanwhile, Adeleke stated that the girl’s sister informed him that the social media accounts accusing Davido of abandoning Aanu and her mother were set up and operated without the family’s knowledge.
