Nigerian politician, Dele Momodu has shared his perspective on the ongoing custody dispute of Imade between Sophia and singer, Davido.
DAILY GIST reports that Momodu is an uncle to Sophia.
He clarified that joint custody of their daughter Imade was not the actual issue between Davido and Sophia.
In a detailed post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, July 6th, 2024, Momodu expressed his surprise at Davido’s affidavit seeking joint custody.
He noted that their previous conversations had focused on Davido’s upcoming wedding and reconnecting with his daughter.
Momodu explained that the core issues in the dispute were primarily about financial support, including school fees, accommodation, and a nanny’s salary.
He suggested that the lack of effective communication and camaraderie between Davido and Sophia had led to the current situation.
“Last night, I received a distressing message from Mr. David Adeleke (aka Davido). He was obviously devastated by the counter-affidavit submitted in court earlier in the day, in response to his affidavit seeking joint custody of his daughter with my niece, Sophia Momodu.
“I had seen David’s affidavit about two weeks ago, and I was very surprised. David and I had spoken on a video call days earlier, with him and Pastor Tobi Adegboyega, and he never mentioned he had any custody issues with my niece.
So, you can imagine my confusion to find out via social media and subsequently confirmed by my niece that he had filed an action in court seeking joint custody of their daughter.
“During the referenced video call, we were all very excited about his forthcoming wedding ceremony, an event our family congratulated him on. Prior to this, David had told me he eventually spoke to their daughter after a long lull of about two years. He was very happy and excited.
So, I thought everything was settled, and he and Sophia would now have the opportunity of taking maximum care of their daughter.
I had offered special thanks to David’s dad, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, for his kindness and support for our daughter during the period of David’s absence.
“I had also taken Sophia and their daughter to my very dear friend, Governor Ademola Adeleke, seeking his intervention. To the best of my knowledge, there was never a problem of joint custody.
“The issues were: non-payment of school fees for several sessions; non-payment of accommodation and salaries of a nanny. There was no car dedicated to David’s daughter. And so on.
Mercifully, I mentioned all to Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, and he responded positively, like a true grandfather.
“On the issue of non-payment of school fees, David’s dad cleared everything and also set up payments of future bills. He gave his granddaughter a car to take her to school. The remaining issue was accommodation.
“David’s dad verbally offered, in his discussions with me, one of their family apartments in Oniru Estate, Victoria Island. However, maybe due to miscommunication, David’s lawyers had communicated otherwise. After Sophia clarified from me, she politely declined the offer.
Her reason was tenable in my view because, since she’s not married to David, she can’t be comfortable living in a place swarming with David’s family members.
“She and her daughter had been living in Ikoyi before David and Sophia started their latest quarrels.
Sophia’s request was that David should pay half of the accommodation while she would pay the other half. David said he could only contribute N5 million annually.
“My opinion is that the absence of camaraderie between David and Sophia has caused this debacle.
I have cautioned repeatedly that their daughter must not be allowed to suffer or be treated like a second-class child. David’s global status makes this imperative.
“Sophia allowed David access to their daughter provided she has her nanny around 24/7. The 9-year-old herself made this request, and I believe this should be favorably considered and accepted. My grand-niece had been released to go out with her cousins on several occasions.
“The Governor’s daughter, Nike, was at Sophia’s house with the Governor’s grandson last Christmas Day, despite the fact that there wasn’t ample notice, and she still granted access.
“Two months ago, the Governor’s son, Sina Rambo, requested a play date between the kids, and Sophia rented out a children’s place in Victoria Island for them to spend hours together.
The only time she couldn’t join her father’s family was when her grandfather requested to go on vacation with her for three weeks last year, as the notice was too short, and Sophia had already paid for their own trips, due to lack of communication between the parents…”
Momodu urged both parties to prioritize their daughter’s well-being and find a compromise on custody and financial responsibilities.
MY CANDID OPINION ON DAVID ADELEKE vs SOPHIA MOMODU
By DELE MOMODU
