Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, is facing criticism after she interrupted Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, while he broke into a song during his remarks at the 10th coronation anniversary of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
A viral video shared on Monday showed Adeleke approaching the podium on Sunday to celebrate the monarch and congratulate the First Lady on her new chieftaincy title, Yeye Asiwaju Gbogbo Ile Oodua. Before delivering his message, the governor—popular for his expressive, musical style—launched into a brief chant, drawing laughter from guests.
Moments later, the First Lady, who had just received her traditional title, walked up to the podium and quietly signalled to Adeleke to continue with his address, whispering a brief remark to him.
The exchange sparked widespread debate online.
Reacting to the development, Akintunde Bello, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on the Bureau of Social Services, said Mrs Tinubu should be cautioned.
ALSO READ: Osun leads as INEC confirms 2.68m new voter registrations nationwide
Similarly, Dele Momodu, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, criticised the First Lady’s conduct in an Instagram post on Monday, describing it as bullying. He said the president’s wife openly embarrassed Adeleke before a global audience.
Momodu stated, “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 (@rilwan_ola01), also faulted the incident, writing, “Remi Tinubu came to Osun to undermine the power of legitimate government in front of various dignitaries. I am really angry right now.”
However, others defended the First Lady, insisting her intervention was harmless.
Dayo Fashola, an aide to former Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, wrote on Facebook that the interaction was “light-hearted and isn’t as serious as people are making it seem.”
She explained, “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.”
Another Facebook user, Oyetunji Ayoade, argued that Tinubu acted respectfully, writing, “The highest respect the first lady can give to Osun people is to stand up and inform him by herself and she did.”
The incident has continued to generate conversations across social media, with Nigerians divided over whether the First Lady overstepped or acted within reason.
