Former Ekiti State Governor and ex-Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has revealed that he persuaded Peter Obi to greet President Bola Tinubu during the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in May 2025.
Fayemi disclosed this during a one-on-one interview with Edmund Obilo on State Affairs.
He said he encouraged the former Anambra State governor to extend courtesies to the president after an interaction with Bianca Ojukwu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“Peter and I are Catholics. We were at the Vatican for the inauguration of the new pope.
“We had breakfast that morning with Cardinal Lazarus and proceeded from his apartment to the venue, where we sat four rows behind the president,” Fayemi recounted.
He continued: “The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, who was part of the president’s delegation, came over to greet us. I felt that, regardless of our politics, our president was there. So I told Peter, ‘Please, let us go and greet him.’”
According to Fayemi, Obi initially hesitated, expressing concerns that the gesture could be misconstrued or misused by the media.
“I told him it really didn’t matter. You are a Catholic, you are a Nigerian, and you are here. Our president has honoured us by attending. He is even a Muslim, yet he came to represent all Nigerians at this Catholic event. We should extend basic courtesies,” Fayemi said.
He added that Obi eventually agreed and they met President Tinubu, and he (Obi) said, “Mr President, welcome to the Vatican. Thank you for honouring us with your presence.”
Fayemi said President Tinubu responded by noting that it was actually his duty to welcome them, as he was the leader of the Nigerian delegation.
The former minister said that Obi replied saying, “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.”
Fayemi added that both men exchanged pleasantries and light jokes before the interaction ended.
When asked if that was the first meeting between Obi and President Tinubu since the 2023 presidential election, Fayemi replied, “I wouldn’t know, but they shook hands there.”