\n\n
Former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has revealed how he persuaded former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi to greet President Bola Tinubu during the inauguration ceremony of Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican. Fayemi disclosed this during an interview on Edmund Obilo’s YouTube programme, explaining that Obi initially hesitated because he feared the encounter could be politically misinterpreted and generate backlash online. 
According to Fayemi, both he and Obi attended the Vatican event as practising Catholics and Papal Knights and had earlier shared breakfast with Cardinal Lazarus before proceeding to the ceremony venue. He said they were seated a few rows behind President Tinubu and his delegation when Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, approached them to exchange greetings. Fayemi explained that after Ojukwu greeted them, he felt it was only proper for them to walk over and acknowledge the Nigerian president despite political differences. 
Fayemi stated that Obi initially expressed concern that photographs or videos of the interaction could be manipulated in the media and interpreted politically. However, he said he encouraged the former Anambra governor to ignore such fears, stressing that Tinubu was attending the event as Nigeria’s leader and deserved basic courtesy. Fayemi added that Obi eventually agreed, after which both men approached Tinubu and exchanged pleasantries with the President in what he described as a relaxed and friendly moment. 
The Vatican encounter first attracted national attention after presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga shared photographs showing Tinubu, Obi, and Fayemi together during the papal inauguration. Fayemi also recounted that Tinubu responded humorously when he welcomed him to the Vatican, joking that he, as leader of the Nigerian delegation, should instead be the one welcoming them. Political observers say the meeting sparked widespread reactions because it marked one of the most publicly visible cordial interactions between Tinubu and Obi since the fiercely contested 2023 presidential election. 
