RismadarVoice Reporters, May 22, 2026
Former Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has revealed that he played a role in encouraging Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, to approach President Bola Tinubu for a handshake during a papal inauguration at the Vatican City last May.
Fayemi disclosed in an interview on Edmund Obilo’s YouTube channel, stating that Obi was initially hesitant about the encounter due to concerns that it could be misinterpreted in the media.
The meeting, which came into public attention in May 2025 after presidential aide Bayo Onanuga shared photographs of the trio at the event, occurred during the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.
According to Fayemi, both he and Obi attended the ceremony as Catholics and had participated in a breakfast meeting with Cardinal Lazarus before proceeding to the event venue, where they were seated a few rows behind President Tinubu.
He said the moment that prompted the interaction came when the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, approached them to exchange greetings.
“The current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, was on the president’s delegation and she came to say hello to us. And I felt, well, our president is there regardless of our politics. Peter, please let us go,” Fayemi said.
Fayemi added that Obi initially expressed concern that the gesture might be politically misrepresented, but he encouraged him to see it as a matter of courtesy and national unity.
“He had his concerns that this might be misused in the media. I said, Peter, it really didn’t matter… our president has honoured us. We could extend courtesies to him,” he said.
He stated that Obi eventually agreed, and both men approached Tinubu to exchange greetings.
“Mr President, welcome to the Vatican. Thank you for honouring us with your presence,” Fayemi said he told Tinubu.
According to him, President Tinubu responded humorously, noting that as head of the Nigerian delegation, he should instead be the one offering greetings.
Fayemi added that Obi also acknowledged Tinubu’s position as Nigeria’s leader during the exchange, describing the interaction as cordial and light-hearted.
The former governor noted that both men later went their separate ways after the brief encounter, which formed part of wider diplomatic and religious activities at the Vatican ceremony.
When asked whether it was the first time the two political figures had met since the 2023 elections, Fayemi said he could not confirm but noted that they did exchange pleasantries at the event.
