Billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Dr Deji Adeleke, has publicly dismissed as false the long-running paternity controversy involving his son, Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, and a child named Anuoluwapo, accusing controversial social media commentator Kemi Olunloyo of sustaining the claims through years of impersonation, as he spoke for the first time on the matter at a press conference on Wednesday, explaining that the allegations, which date back to 2014, originated from a DHL package sent from Ibadan containing photographs, documents and a birth certificate listing “Adeleke David” as the child’s father, alongside a letter from the child’s grandmother appealing for a paternity test, prompting him to personally arrange a DNA test at Vedic Lifecare Hospital in Lagos with samples analysed in South Africa, during which saliva samples were taken from Davido and the child in the presence of all parties, with results showing a zero per cent probability of paternity, a conclusion he said was confirmed by multiple subsequent tests, despite his willingness to accept the child if proven to be his granddaughter, saying, “I am Deji Adeleke, I’m the father of five children, three boys and two girls. David Adeleke, who you all know as Davido, is the baby of my family, he’s the last,” and adding, “I’m calling this press conference, and this is my very first time addressing the press, and for just one single reason,” while stressing that calls for the DNA reports to be made public were rejected due to security and legal concerns, noting, “It is dangerous for anyone’s DNA profile to be in the public domain,” and insisting that the family had nothing to gain from denying a child, as he already has 14 grandchildren, asking rhetorically, “What is one more?” before concluding that online narratives around the case were misleading, driven by misinformation, and should be disregarded, emphasising that “there is science. And science is clear.”
