Tension briefly overshadowed the celebration in Ile-Ife when First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu cut into Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke’s speech, warning that she would “switch off the microphone” if he did not end his remarks within five minutes. The moment, caught on camera, has since ignited intense debate over what truly motivated the First Lady’s unusually firm intervention.
The incident occurred during her installation as Yeye Asiwaju Gbogbo Ile Oodua, part of the Ooni of Ife’s 10th coronation anniversary festivities. The event was packed with governors, royal fathers and political heavyweights, an atmosphere where protocol typically takes precedence. But the calm broke when Governor Adeleke, known for his lively personality and love for music and dance, drifted away from his formal speech and began singing to the crowd.
The First Lady, clearly displeased, gestured toward him and delivered a sharp warning: “You have 5 minutes to conclude your speech. Enough of the music, or I’ll switch off the microphone.”
The exchange has since fueled a wave of speculation. Was the First Lady asserting protocol in a high-profile ceremony where timing and decorum mattered? Was it irritation with Adeleke’s trademark musical interludes? Or could the moment hint at a deeper undercurrent of political rivalry between the presidential seat and a governor from the opposition?
Observers remain split, some applauding her insistence on order, others accusing her of disrespecting a sitting governor in public. Yet many agree that the confrontation injected unexpected tension into an event designed to honour tradition, royalty and national unity.
In the end, the ceremony moved on, but the question lingers: Was Remi Tinubu’s intervention simply about maintaining ceremony etiquette, or a sign of something much deeper beneath Nigeria’s political surface?
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