Davido’s Oriadé residency nears sell-out despite boycott calls

The boycott was meant to hurt. The tickets kept going anyway. Davido concert tickets for Oriadé: The Residency, three nights at the National Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos, from 17 to 19 December, were down to fewer than 350 across all three dates on Friday, 16 October.

That figure comes from a post by the fan account @oyl2he on X on Friday morning, which said sales had surged over the previous 24 hours. Davido, whose real name is David Adeleke, quoted it at about 2pm WAT with a single word: “Alhamdulillah.”

He said nothing about the boycott. But the timing is hard to miss. Premium Times reported earlier on Friday that some Nigerians had vowed not to buy tickets because of his uncle’s politics.

Why did people call for a Davido boycott?

The calls followed Governor Ademola Adeleke’s public backing of President Bola Tinubu. Premium Times reported on Tuesday, 13 October that the APC’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council had named the Osun governor, who belongs to the Accord Party, as Tinubu’s state campaign coordinator. Adeleke then pledged his support at the council’s inauguration at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday, 14 October, Premium Times reported.

Some fans saw that as a mark against Davido. According to Premium Times on Friday, some users vowed not to buy tickets, while others mockingly told him to fill the venue with family members and APC supporters. As of the paper’s press time, Davido had not responded. The paper also recalled an earlier X post in which the singer called APC supporters in Osun “enemies of progress”.

How did we get here?

• Friday, 18 September 2026: Davido announces the residency in a video on his social media accounts, calling it a homecoming that marks 15 years in music (Arise News, 19 September).
• Friday, 25 September: ticket sales open, with a presale for members of his 30BG fan base first (Arise News).
• Friday, 2 October: BusinessDay works out that a full house on its Night 1 seat map would gross about ₦772.5 million a night, or roughly ₦2.32 billion over three nights, before costs.
• Tuesday, 13 October: Adeleke is named Osun coordinator of Tinubu’s 2027 campaign (Premium Times).
• Friday, 16 October: boycott calls reported by Premium Times; hours later, the “fewer than 350” tally appears and Davido shares it.

What do Davido concert tickets cost?

Tickets for each night ran from ₦80,000 to ₦2,000,000 on Davido’s DMW website when GistMatrix checked at about 8:20pm WAT on Friday, 16 October. The cheapest seat is above Nigeria’s ₦70,000 national minimum wage, as BusinessDay pointed out.

The site gives each night its own theme. Night One is billed as the “Legend” night, a tribute to the older acts who came before him. Night Two is the “Idol” night, for his peers and the artists moving Afrobeats now. The finale is the “Friend” night, with his closest collaborators. VIP tickets come with an after-party pass and a bottle of Martell signed by Davido, the listing says.

How big is this for a Nigerian concert?

Big for a residency, not the biggest show overall. BusinessDay says the National Theatre’s main bowl seats about 5,000, with roughly 2,400 seats on the Night 1 map. Organisers bill the run as the first three-night residency by an Afrobeats artist at the venue. Wizkid’s 2025 show at Tafawa Balewa Square, with room for 50,000, is still the larger benchmark, the paper noted. BusinessDay also cited Music In Africa’s report that the Nigerian leg of Davido’s own 5IVE tour sold more than 100,000 tickets within three weeks in 2025.

The “fewer than 350” figure has not been confirmed by Davido’s team or the ticketing company. It comes from a fan account. What Davido did was share it.

What happens next

The residency runs on Thursday, 17 December, Friday, 18 December and Saturday, 19 December 2026 at the National Theatre (now the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts), Iganmu, Lagos. When GistMatrix checked dmwhq.com/residency at about 5:40pm WAT on Sunday, 18 October, all three nights still showed a “Get Tickets” button and there was no sold-out notice. GistMatrix will update this story if Davido’s team confirms a sell-out.

FAQ

When is Davido’s Oriadé concert?
Davido plays three nights at the National Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos, on 17, 18 and 19 December 2026.

How much are Davido’s Oriadé tickets?
Prices on Davido’s DMW website ranged from ₦80,000 to ₦2 million per night when GistMatrix checked on Friday, 16 October 2026.

Why are people boycotting Davido’s concert?
Some Nigerians called for a boycott after his uncle, Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke, backed President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, according to Premium Times.

Are you going to any of the three nights? Tell us in the comments.

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