Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma has hit back at Afrobeats star Davido over the upcoming Osun State governorship election, telling the singer to get his uncle ready for life outside politics.

The back-and-forth started when Davido, at a press conference on Wednesday, appealed to an unnamed Imo politician to allow a free and fair election in Osun. He said he had heard rumors of plans to interfere with the August 15 governorship poll. Though Davido did not name anyone, his comments were widely seen as directed at Uzodimma.

In a statement issued Thursday through his aide Ambrose Nwaogwugwu, Uzodimma said Davido should be talking to Osun voters instead of him.

The governor also predicted defeat for incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking a second term. According to Uzodimma, the electorate has lost confidence in Adeleke’s administration.

“The reality is that Governor Ademola Adeleke has, in the opinion of many, failed woefully in the discharge of his responsibilities,” the statement read. “This is why many Osun voters are determined to vote him out.”

Uzodimma claimed signals across Osun show voters are ready to back the APC candidate, and advised Davido to focus on preparing his uncle for life after office rather than making emotional appeals.

In a final jab, the governor suggested Davido start preparing to “officially sign his uncle as a dancer in his musical band, because judging by the mood of the electorate, he may well be out of a political job after the August 15 election.”

The exchange comes just days before the Osun governorship election, where Adeleke is gunning for a second term in office.