Afrobeats music singer, David Adeleke aka Davido, has thrown a direct challenge to Nigerian politicians after a former Governor of Anambra State and the 2027 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, gave a detailed public account of how he built his wealth before entering politics.
Davido’s comment followed a clip shared by Arise TV host, Rufai Oseni, from his recent interview with Obi where the political leader spoke extensively about his business career.
Sharing the clip, Rufai posed a question that has since sparked fresh debate:
“Can every Nigerian politician tell us how they made their money like this?”
Responding bluntly in the comment section, Davido wrote: “None of them can try it.”
The short but pointed remark has since gone viral, adding a celebrity voice to the growing public scrutiny over the unexplained wealth of Nigerian political office holders.
During the interview, Obi traced his business journey to long before his foray into politics.
According to him, he ran a brand and market management company and held major franchises in Nigeria, including Heinz products such as salad cream and baked beans.
He also disclosed that he was the sole agent for South African Breweries and worked with pharmaceutical giant Novartis, among other multinationals.
Obi explained that the trading business he built later evolved into what is now known as Next Cash and Carry after he exited and his brother took over its management.
The former governor further revealed that he owned substantial shares in two to three banks and served as chairman of at least one bank before he became governor of Anambra State in 2006.
Obi was responding to questions bordering on the Pandora Papers leak and reports of offshore assets linked to him.
Addressing claims of about $15 million in offshore holdings, Obi insisted his wealth predated public office, recalling that his business footprint earned him recognition abroad as far back as 1987 when he received one of the first American Express Platinum cards issued to a limited number of customers worldwide.
“If there’s anything to regret in my life, it’s going into politics because it made me poorer,” Obi said, adding that he was however fulfilled to have served.
Davido’s intervention has amplified Rufai’s question into a broader challenge: Can Nigerian politicians publicly and credibly account for their source of wealth?
The conversation comes at a time when public demand for transparency in asset declaration is growing, and as Peter Obi campaigns for the 2027 presidential election under the Nigeria Democratic Congress.