Davido vs Eko Atlantic: An Explainer

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Davido is mad. Why? 

Yesterday, Popstar Davido took to twitter to express his grievances with Eko Atlantic City over his proposed concert scheduled to hold on the 27th of December, 2018. Davido’s decision to opt for a bigger venue for his annual concert is quite expected as his sold out concert in the previous year which took place at Eko Hotel was a logistical nightmare. The star hinted Eko Atlantic City’s refusal to allow him hold his highly anticipated concert at the venue to be politically motivated.

https://twitter.com/iam_Davido/status/1062488182187585538

https://twitter.com/iam_Davido/status/1062489302851117057

What ‘s the political motivation? 

We all witnessed the chaotic events surrounding Davido, his uncle Senator Ademola Adeleke and the All Progressives Congress (APC). But for those who didn’t and those who can’t recall, here is a quick refresher. Senator Ademola Adeleke was the PDP flag bearer for the Osun state gubernatorial elections. Davido being a phenomenal nephew, went all out in support of his uncle’s political aspirations. Running against the incumbent party’s pick, Gboyega Oyetola, Adeleke won a majority of votes with a difference of about 354 votes. However due to “irregularities” such as malfunctioning card readers which subsequently led to the cancellation of 3,498 votes, the election was declared inconclusive. The statement by INEC read “based on the results collated by the Returning Officer, the margin between the leading candidates is 353, which is lower than the number of registered voters in the affected areas. Extant law and INEC Guidelines and Regulations provide that where such situation occurs, a declaration may not be made,” Davido, not being one to hide his displeasure cried foul play by the APC. The election was reran and the APC held on to the office of the governor of Osun State.

What does that have to do with Eko Atlantic?

Though being owed by Nigerian-Lebanese billionaire Gilbert Chagoury, the Lagos State Government is a strategic partner of the Eko Atlantic Development, with the support of the Federal Government. Little wonder Davido came to the conclusion that the decline of his request to use the venue must have been a result of his affiliations with PDP seeing as both tiers of government are headed by the APC.

In response, Eko Atlantic took to their twitter page to refute Davido’s claims with a press statement explaining their version of events. By their explanation, it is implied that safety concerns were paramount considering the logistical nightmare that was Davido’s 2017 concert at their sister organization- Eko Hotel.

https://twitter.com/EkoAtlantic/status/1062696364625268736