Former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has disclosed that he encouraged Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi to approach President Bola Tinubu and exchange greetings during the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in May, despite Obi’s initial reservations about how the encounter might be perceived.
Speaking during an interview on Edmund Obilo’s YouTube channel, Fayemi said the meeting occurred while both he and Obi were attending the papal inauguration as Catholics. According to him, they had spent the morning with Cardinal Lazarus before heading to the ceremony, where they were seated a few rows behind the Nigerian president and his delegation.
The interaction first became public after presidential aide Bayo Onanuga shared photographs from the event and explained that Fayemi had suggested that Obi join him in greeting Tinubu. Fayemi’s latest account supports that version of events but adds that Obi initially hesitated because he feared the gesture could be misinterpreted or politicised.
Fayemi recalled that the moment was prompted when Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Ojukwu, who was part of the presidential delegation, crossed over to greet them. He said that since the president had attended the event on behalf of Nigeria, it was appropriate to extend the same courtesy in return regardless of political differences.
According to Fayemi, Obi expressed concern that photographs or reports of the meeting might later be used against him. However, Fayemi argued that the circumstances transcended politics, stressing that they were attending a religious event as Nigerians and Catholics, while Tinubu had come to represent the country.
He said Obi eventually agreed, and the two of them walked over together to greet the president. Fayemi welcomed Tinubu to the Vatican and thanked him for attending the occasion, prompting what he described as a light-hearted response from the president.
Fayemi recounted that Tinubu jokingly remarked that, as head of the Nigerian delegation, he should be the one welcoming them instead. Obi then acknowledged the president’s role, thanking him for travelling to Rome and representing the country even though they were not members of his official delegation.
The brief exchange ended amicably, with the conversation remaining cordial before the president moved on to continue his engagements at the event, including a courtesy visit involving Pope Leo XIV.
When asked whether the handshake marked the first meeting between Tinubu and Obi since the 2023 presidential election, Fayemi declined to speculate, saying only that the two men greeted each other during the Vatican ceremony.
