Israel DMW, logistics manager to Nigerian music star Davido, has paid tribute to former President Muhammadu Buhari, praising him for what he described as a free and credible governorship election in Edo State in 2024.
Israel made the remarks in a post on his Instagram page, where he commended the late president for allowing Edo residents to choose their preferred governor despite the election being held outside the regular governorship election cycle.
The Davido associate also criticised what he described as a decline in electoral conduct after Buhari left office, alleging that subsequent developments had brought embarrassment to the state.
Israel wrote, “General Muhammadu Buhari. At least, you conducted a very free and credible election in Edo State, while in power. You gave we Edolites, the right to choose whoever we wanted as a governor, despite being an off-cycle election.
“What we later saw after you had left was full impunity, that has continually brought us public disgrace. Rest on, great General.”
His comments came after the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, disclosed that he opposed the ambition of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, during the 2024 Edo election because he did not want former Governor Godwin Obaseki to determine his successor.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting of the Rainbow Coalition in Abuja, Wike said Ighodalo had visited him several times to seek his support but that he declined because of his disagreement with Obaseki.
Wike also maintained that political alliances involving members of the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC) influenced the political dynamics surrounding the election.
The September 2024 Edo governorship election was won by APC candidate Monday Okpebholo, who defeated Ighodalo of the PDP and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party.
Buhari, who served as Nigeria’s president from 2015 to 2023, died in July 2025.
