New York, May 5 : Uncle of Mercy James, the Malawian tot Madonna wants to adopt, has dubbed her self-proclaimed dad "an opportunist".

"How can he claim he is the father when he hasn''t been around all this time?" uncle Peter Beneti said of James Kambewa, calling him "just an opportunist."

Madonna''s mouthpiece Liz Rosenberg said she has seen no proof Kambewa is the girl''s father, reports The New York Daily News.

"All I know is that Mercy has been in an orphanage since the day she was born," she said.

The reaction comes right after Kambewa surfaced with claims that he is Mercy''s daddy.

"I do not want my baby to be adopted," the 24-year-old security guard told CBS News'' "The Early Show."

"I want to take care of her," he added.

Kambewa claimed he was in a far-off village when the girl''s 14-year-old mom, Mwandida Chekechiwa, gave birth and didn''t know about her until recently. (ANI)