Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, publicly interrupted Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke during a goodwill address at a high-profile ceremony on Sunday, sparking a social media outcry over the incident.
The confrontation took place during the 10th-anniversary coronation ceremony of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, where Mrs. Tinubu was conferred with the title of Yeye Asiwaju Ile Oodua.
Governor Adeleke, known for his dancing and jovial style, was delivering a speech praising the First Lady as a “pillar of national development” when he reportedly began singing Christian songs. A viral video clip captured the moment Mrs. Tinubu, mounting the stage, showed the governor her five fingers, signaling a time limit, and instructed him to conclude his remarks.
“I’m giving you five minutes to finish your speech. The music is enough,” Mrs. Tinubu stated, according to those present.
The interaction escalated when the First Lady subsequently threatened to cut the governor’s microphone if he continued singing, saying in Yoruba, “Mo maa pa mic yin,” which translates to “I’ll switch off your microphone.”
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While the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, expressed profound gratitude to the First Lady for her support, noting, “She is the mother of the nation. Exactly 10 years ago… she stood by me through thick and thin,” the treatment of the sitting governor has become a point of contention online. Several social media users criticized Mrs. Tinubu’s actions, describing the on-stage correction of the governor as “humiliating” and a “display of arrogance” towards a constitutional authority.
