Former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has revealed how he convinced Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to walk up and greet President Bola Tinubu during the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican City.
Speaking in an interview on Edmund Obilo’s YouTube channel, Fayemi said Obi initially hesitated because he feared the handshake could be twisted in the media.
According to Fayemi, both men attended the papal inauguration as Catholics and had breakfast with Cardinal Lazarus before heading to the ceremony, where they were seated a few rows behind Tinubu and his delegation.
Fayemi explained that the moment began after Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Bianca Ojukwu, walked over from the presidential section to greet them.
He said he then told Obi they should also extend courtesy to the president despite political differences.
However, Obi reportedly expressed concerns that the meeting could be “misused in the media.” Fayemi said he reminded him that Tinubu was representing Nigeria at the Vatican despite not being Catholic.
“Peter, please let us go,” Fayemi recalled telling him.
He said Obi eventually agreed, and the two approached the president together.
According to Fayemi, he welcomed Tinubu to the Vatican, but the president quickly responded with humour, saying he should be the one welcoming them because he was the leader of the Nigerian delegation.
Fayemi said Obi then acknowledged Tinubu’s position, telling him, “Yes sir, you are our leader,” while thanking him for attending the inauguration.
The former governor added that the interaction ended peacefully, with both sides exchanging pleasantries before Tinubu continued with other engagements at the Vatican ceremony.
