Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the first lady of Nigeria, has faced criticism for stepping in when Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke started singing during his speech at the 10th coronation anniversary of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
Adeleke was seen approaching the stage on Sunday to honor the monarch and congratulate the First Lady on her new chieftaincy title, Yeye Asiwaju Gbogbo Ile Oodua, in a video that went viral on Monday.
The governor, who is renowned for his upbeat and melodic public approach, began a short chant instead of giving his speech right away, which prompted amusement from sections of the crowd.
The First Lady, who had just been given her customary title by the Ooni, approached the podium, gave the governor a slight gesture, and whispered to him to continue with his remarks.
However, Nigerians responses to this have been conflicting.
In response, Akintunde Bello, the Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on the Bureau of Social Services, stated that Mrs. Tinubu need to be warned.
Additionally, Dele Momodu, a prominent member of the African Democratic Congress, denounced the First Lady’s behavior in an Instagram post on Monday, characterizing it as bullying.
According to Momodu, Adeleke was publicly humiliated and degraded by the president’s wife before a global audience.
He said, “Remi Tinubu is not an elected officer of the government and has no role assigned to her in the constitution of the Federal Republic.
“It is totally repugnant to openly disgrace, insult and bully the Chief Executive of Osun State before a global audience, including his wife. She went too far.”
An X user, Hon. Rilwan, tweeting as #rilwan_ola01 wrote, “Remi Tinubu came to Osun to undermine the power of legitimate government in front of various dignitaries. I am really angry right now.”
Nevertheless, some netizens think Tinubu’s action was justifiable in spite of the criticism.
On her verified Facebook account, Dayo Fashola, an aide to former Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, stated that the two had a playful talk.
Fashola had explained that what transpired between Oluremi Tinubu and Adeleke was “light‑hearted and isn’t as serious as people are making it seem.”
She wrote, “Even Her Excellency craved the indulgence of all her distinguished guests to skip protocol while delivering her own speech, as many needed to return to their respective destinations in good time. Keeping in mind that helicopter visibility at night is near zero.”
A Facebook user, Oyetunji Ayoade, while defending Tinubu’s action, wrote, “The highest respect the first lady can give to Osun people is to stand up and inform him by herself and she did.”
