How I pushed Obi to greet Tinubu at Vatican — Fayemi

Former Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, has disclosed that he persuaded Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to greet President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican last May.

Fayemi made the revelation in an interview on Edmund Obilo’s YouTube channel, explaining that Obi initially hesitated over concerns that the encounter could be misinterpreted in the media.

The meeting first became public on May 18, 2025, when presidential aide Bayo Onanuga shared photos of the trio at the ceremony, stating that Fayemi had encouraged Obi to join him in greeting the president.

In the interview, Fayemi confirmed the account but added that Obi needed convincing before agreeing to the gesture.

He explained that both he and Obi attended the papal inauguration as Catholics and had earlier shared breakfast with Cardinal Lazarus before proceeding to the event, where they were seated a few rows behind Tinubu.

According to him, the moment to approach the president arose after Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, left the presidential delegation to greet them.

Fayemi said he then urged Obi to reciprocate the courtesy, stressing that Tinubu was representing Nigeria at the event regardless of political differences.

Obi, he noted, was initially reluctant, expressing concern that the meeting might be politicised. However, Fayemi said he reassured him that the gesture was appropriate, given their shared nationality and the president’s presence at the global religious event.

He said Obi eventually agreed, and both men approached Tinubu together.

Fayemi recounted that he welcomed the president to the Vatican and thanked him for attending, but Tinubu responded humorously, saying he should be the one doing the welcoming as leader of the Nigerian delegation.

Obi also acknowledged Tinubu’s position, thanking him for representing the country at the ceremony despite political differences.

Fayemi said the interaction was brief and cordial, after which both sides went their separate ways.

When asked if it was their first meeting since the 2023 presidential election, Fayemi said he could not confirm but acknowledged that they shook hands at the event.

He added that both he and Obi are devout Catholics and Papal Knights, and had previously attended the inauguration of Pope Francis in 2013 as sitting governors.

Tinubu, a Muslim, later told reporters that his presence at the ceremony reflected Nigeria’s unity in diversity, urging citizens to harness differences for national progress.

The photos of the encounter sparked mixed reactions online, with some praising the display of civility and others revisiting the political rivalry between the two men.