Former governor Kayode Fayemi opens up on what he did to make Peter Obi have a handshake with President Tinubu at Vatican

Former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has revealed that he encouraged former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to exchange a handshake with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City in May 2025.

According to Fayemi, Obi was initially reluctant to greet President Tinubu due to concerns that the gesture could be misinterpreted by the media.

The former governor made the disclosure during an interview with Edmund Obilo, which was uploaded to YouTube on Thursday, May 21.

Watch the video below:

Fayemi reveals how he pushed Obi to greet Tinubu at Vatican pic.twitter.com/7qflW623yH

— Dejii™ (@_Dejii) May 22, 2026

Reacting to Fayemi’s remarks, a prominent supporter of Peter Obi, Obiasogu David, dismissed the comments, alleging that Fayemi was merely seeking media attention by mentioning the former presidential candidate.

David further noted that about a year ago, Fayemi was reportedly linked to a coalition aimed at unseating President Tinubu in 2026.

He argued that there is still no clear evidence or indication that the former governor has distanced himself from the President or aligned with the opposition.

David’s observations and claims regarding Kayode Fayemi have since sparked reactions from netizens across social media platforms.

See his post below

I do not doubt that Ex-Governor Fayemi is repeating the same card he played in 2022. And I do not need to sit with him before I can deduce what the truth may be.

Here are the pointers….

Before the APC primaries, he sparked rumours of a feud with Tinubu, picked the APC… https://t.co/5emmj4CmGb pic.twitter.com/DlwKs1mKFZ

— Obiasogu David (@afrisagacity) May 22, 2026

Here are some of their reactions below:

Tope Gbenro wrote: “Well, if you know, you know. Fayemi is a core Buhari guy. Fayemi, Ameachi, and El Rufai are part of the people who stood against Tinubu’s control of APC during the Buhari regime. In fact, he just stepped down for BAT in the primary; most of the Ekiti delegates voted for PYO. Doubt if he will leave APC.” 

9ja Pikin argued: “You people are too dull for national politics, and that’s why you are having problems or being suspicious of everybody. Why not build a structure instead of trying to hijack a ready-made structure? Today, it’s Datti Ahmed and tomorrow it’s Kwankwanso.” 

Razi commented: “You nailed it with the point that, as a founding member of ADC, he should stay there and work for his Party. I don’t understand this chasing PO around to any party he moves to.”

Clement Nnoka wrote: “The truth remains that Fayemi can’t be trusted, and I do know that the leadership of NDC are very much aware of this. Because Tinubu can do anything to destroy what he can never build in his entire life.”