Afrobeat singer, Seun Kuti has restated President Bola Tinubu’s role in Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle. 

His remarks have been widely shared online, and a post on X expanded on them.

Kuti, the youngest son of the late Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, said he grew up knowing the president as an uncle and a close friend of his late uncle, Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti. He described Tinubu as a political mentor in his childhood and said many of the ideas he holds today came from the men who fought for democracy through the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), including during Tinubu’s years in exile.

He added that he performed at Tinubu’s rallies during his first term as Lagos State governor.

Kuti also drew a line between personal closeness and politics. He said he has no political relationship with the president. He admitted that Tinubu has not performed well in office so far, but said this would not erase the affection he has for him.

An X user, writing under the handle Pella Ìkà X, amplified the remarks. The user described Tinubu as the late Chief MKO Abiola’s right-hand man during the June 12 crisis. The post also claimed that Tinubu took the Ernest Shonekan-led Interim National Government to court, leading to the nullification of Decree 61.

The same post said that when former President Olusegun Obasanjo removed Rashidi Ladoja as Oyo State governor, Tinubu arranged lawyers to challenge the impeachment. It said the case was won and Ladoja was restored to office.

The poster concluded that Tinubu has been pro-democracy “from get go”. The poster added that they could not support a rival candidate who allegedly worked with the late General Sani Abacha and failed to hold local government elections for seven years.

The exchange comes amid renewed debate over the records of political figures who resisted military rule in the 1990s. Tinubu’s NADECO credentials have been defended by the Presidency, which has said many exiled NADECO leaders were sustained by his support. Critics, including some opposition figures, have argued that those who once defended democracy now preside over its erosion.

That dispute has kept the question of who truly fought for Nigeria’s democracy in public view.