Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has drawn attention on social media after wearing a full Tinubu-themed agbada made of Adire fabric to a public event in Ogun State.
NOP NIGERIAreports that the development occurred at the inauguration of the Gateway Cargo International Airport in Iperu, Ogun State, at the weekend.
President Bola Tinubu and Obasanjo are known political adversaries. Since Tinubu emerged as president, Obasanjo has been openly critical of his administration.
In his book Nigeria: Past and Future, launched alongside another publication for his 88th birthday in March 2025, Obasanjo criticised Tinubu’s government, claiming it “competes with the late President Buhari’s administration in inefficiency.”
Video footage from the airport shows Tinubu bowing to Obasanjo and former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba as they joined local leaders to welcome him.
In his address, Tinubu praised Obasanjo for his “commitment to good governance,” while Obasanjo thanked the president for honouring the invitation.
“When the governor gave me your time of arrival, it was free for me. But then he said, ‘You will make a speech.’ I asked, ‘In what capacity?’ He replied, ‘as a citizen of Ogun State.’ I could not dispute that,” Obasanjo said, welcoming Tinubu.
Obasanjo’s choice of attire fueled speculation about a potential political strategy. Many observers suggested it could be a soft signal aimed at mending fences with Tinubu.
When Daily Trust reached out to Obasanjo’s media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, he declined to comment on the significance of the attire. However, a source close to the former president told the aforementioned publication that the Tinubu-themed agbada was “a kind of conspiracy” orchestrated at the airport.
“You should know Baba by now. He is always several steps ahead. The agbada you saw was not what he wore when leaving home. The governor handed it to him upon arrival; it appears conspiratorial. But as an elder statesman, what could he do? Reject it? He knows what he did,” the source said.
