Former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has explained how he encouraged former Anambra state Governor, Peter Obi, to greet President Bola Tinubu during a papal inauguration at the Vatican, according to an interview published on Edmund Obilo’s YouTube channel.
Fayemi said the moment occurred during the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, where both he and Obi attended as Catholic faithful. He explained that they had earlier taken breakfast with Cardinal Lazarus before proceeding to the ceremony and were seated a few rows behind President Tinubu.
The encounter first became public after presidential aide Bayo Onanuga shared images from the event on X in May 2025, stating that Fayemi had urged Obi to join him in greeting the President when he noticed Tinubu seated among other world leaders.
In his account, Fayemi confirmed he approached Obi after Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Ojukwu briefly exchanged greetings with them at the venue, which created the opportunity for him to suggest they greet the President.
He said Obi initially expressed concern that the gesture could be misinterpreted politically in the media. Fayemi added that he reassured Obi that the visit was a non-political religious occasion and that courtesy should be extended to the Nigerian leader present at the Vatican event.
According to Fayemi, Obi eventually agreed, and both men walked over to greet Tinubu.
During the exchange, Fayemi said he welcomed the President and thanked him for attending the ceremony, while Tinubu responded jokingly that he should instead be the one welcoming them as leader of the Nigerian delegation.
Fayemi added that Obi acknowledged Tinubu as Nigeria’s leader during the brief interaction, after which the meeting ended and the President continued with other official engagements linked to the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.
When asked whether this was the first handshake between Tinubu and Obi since the 2023 election, Fayemi declined to confirm, saying he could not be certain.
Both Fayemi and Obi are practising Catholics and Papal Knights, a title awarded by the Vatican to distinguished members of the Catholic Church. The account was corroborated in part by earlier comments shared by Bayo Onanuga on social media.
