NIGERIA: Former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi revealed in an online interview uploaded on Thursday, May 21, 2026, that he persuaded Labour Party‘s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi to greet Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, at the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City in May 2025.
Okay News reports that Kayode Fayemi stated during the interview on the Edmund Obilo YouTube channel that Peter Obi initially hesitated to approach the president due to concerns regarding how the encounter would be covered in the media.
The interaction originally came to public attention on May 18, 2025, after presidential aide Bayo Onanuga shared photographs of the exchange on X. Kayode Fayemi noted that both he and Peter Obi attended the papal inauguration as Catholics and had shared breakfast with Cardinal Lazarus that morning before being seated four rows behind Bola Tinubu.
According to Kayode Fayemi, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, who was part of the presidential delegation, first walked across to greet them, prompting the suggestion to return the courtesy. “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,” Kayode Fayemi said.
Kayode Fayemi said Peter Obi was not immediately convinced due to potential press reactions. “He 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. You are here. Our president has honoured us. He is even a Muslim. He is not a Catholic like you and I. So we could extend courtesies to him for doing this on behalf of all Nigerians to celebrate the pope,” Kayode Fayemi said.
The two men subsequently approached Bola Tinubu to exchange pleasantries. “Readily, Peter agreed. So we walked up to the president and I said, ‘Mr President, welcome to the Vatican. Thank you for honouring us with your presence,’” Kayode Fayemi said. Kayode Fayemi stated that Bola Tinubu replied, “Kayode, what are you saying? I should be the one welcoming you because I am the leader of the Nigerian delegation,” after which Peter Obi said, “Yes sir, you are our leader. So thank you for coming to Rome to honour us even though we are not part of your delegation, but you are our leader.”
Following the exchange, Bola Tinubu proceeded to a state courtesy visit to Pope Leo XIV. Both Kayode Fayemi and Peter Obi are Vatican Papal Knights and previously attended the 2013 inauguration of Pope Francis together in Rome.
