By Charles Pemu 
ABUJA, NIGERIA – Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has dismissed the public backlash over her recent interaction with Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, labeling the ensuing reactions a “needless controversy.”
In a statement posted on her official Facebook page on Tuesday, Mrs. Tinubu addressed the critics, suggesting they often magnify minor issues and create distractions around leadership.
She wrote: “Those entrusted with leadership understand their duties and how to steer the affairs of society. More often, it is the followers and critics who scrutinise every step, amplify minor missteps, and turn them into needless controversy. Ọṣun lè tèǹtẹ̀ – Osun is ahead.”
The First Lady’s comments mark her first public response since a video clip from the 10th coronation anniversary of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, circulated widely online. The video showed Governor Adeleke pausing after breaking into a short song during his speech. Mrs. Tinubu was then seen walking to the podium, gesturing to him, and whispering, a moment that quickly went viral and drew sharp reactions.
Reactions Divide Public Opinion
The episode has since divided public and political opinion.
Akintunde Bello, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on the Bureau of Social Services, insisted that the First Lady should be cautioned, arguing that her gesture toward an elected governor was inappropriate. Similarly, African Democratic Congress chieftain Dele Momodu criticized the act, describing it as bullying and alleging that Mrs. Tinubu had “openly disgraced and embarrassed Adeleke before a global audience.”
However, many others defended the First Lady’s actions. Dayo Fashola, an aide to a former Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, described the exchange as lighthearted. “What transpired between Oluremi Tinubu and Adeleke was light-hearted and isn’t as serious as people are making it seem,” Fashola wrote on her verified Facebook page. Facebook user Oyetunji Ayoade echoed this defense, writing, “The highest respect the First Lady can give to Osun people is to stand up and inform him by herself, and she did.”