Former Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has disclosed how he convinced Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi to approach and greet President Bola Tinubu during the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City last May.
Fayemi made the revelation in a recent interview on Edmund Obilo’s YouTube channel. According to him, Obi initially hesitated, fearing the gesture could be politicised or misrepresented in the media.
The former governor explained that both he and Obi, as devout Catholics and Papal Knights, attended the event independently. They had breakfast with Cardinal Lazarus that morning and were seated four rows behind the Nigerian presidential delegation.
He said the moment was initiated when Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Ojukwu crossed over from the president’s side to greet them.
This gave Fayemi the opportunity to urge Obi that they should extend the same courtesy to the President.
“Peter had his concern that this might be misused in the media. I said, Peter, it really didn’t matter. You are Catholic. You are a Nigerian. Our president has honoured us... So we could extend courtesies to him,” Fayemi recalled.
Obi eventually agreed. The two men walked up to President Tinubu, where Fayemi thanked him for representing Nigeria at the event. Tinubu responded wittily, saying he should be the one welcoming them as the leader of the Nigerian delegation.
Obi then acknowledged Tinubu as the country’s leader.The encounter was brief and cordial, ending with light jokes before the groups went their separate ways.
This account aligns with an earlier statement by presidential aide Bayo Onanuga, who shared photos of the handshake on social media, though Fayemi added the detail about Obi’s initial reluctance.
The event has sparked mixed reactions online, with some commending the show of unity and others referencing the contentious 2023 presidential election.
Fayemi noted that, to his knowledge, it was at least one confirmed instance of the two shaking hands since the polls.
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