A three-minute video depicting the incident between Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke and Remi Tinubu, Nigeria’s president’s wife, has continued to elicit outrage.
The incident occurred on Sunday, December 7, 2025, during the Ooni of Ife’s 10th coronation anniversary celebration, when Remi Tinubu, wife of President Bola Tinubu, was conferred with the chieftaincy title of Yeye Asiwaju Gbogbo Ile Oodua.
Governor Adeleke, who was singing Christian hymns while giving his speech, was rudely interrupted by Remi Tinubu. “I’m giving you five minutes to finish your speech. The music is enough,” Remi reportedly cuts in.
When Adeleke continued singing, she warned that she would turn off the microphone. “Stop the music,” she insisted.
The video of the encounter, which went viral on Monday, elicited both good and negative responses, spurring discussions about decorum and respect in public service.
Many netizens chastised Remi Tinubu for being disrespectful to a sitting governor; others questioned her authority to interrupt a main host; and some said she was simply keeping the event on track.
However, many comments attributed to the occurrence came from two perspectives or critical angles: respect and rupture. Those who spoke from the perspective of mutual respect fostered by closeness suggested that Remi Tinubu and Ademola Adeleke’s “ugly” encounter could have sprung from previous relationships.
They argued that the governor’s response to the alleged disrespect indicated possible intimacy. They also requested the governor to be cautious when dancing and to remember the schedules of guests, especially those arriving from a distance.
Some analysts stated that Remi Tinubu’s encounter with Governor Adeleke represents a rupture—a breakdown in decorum and blatant disdain for the elevated post of governor, which her husband, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, formerly held in Lagos.
They accused Remi Tinubu of being overbearing and dominating, referring to an event involving her and Dino Melaye, a former Senator from Kogi West.
Dino Melaye, senator for Kogi West, alleged in a report that Remi Tinubu called him a “thug” and a “dog” during a heated Senate discussion.
However, Melaye also stated that he would beat and impregnate Remi Tinubu.
Tinubu’s statements, according to Melaye, were meant to provoke him. He claimed that during the executive session, an issue sparked debate, and Senator Remi abruptly rose up and referred to him as a dog and thug.
While many remarks regarding the incident focus on respect or rupture, an Osogbo-born photojournalist, Adewale Adeniran, often known as Betawale, has called the incident as disrespectful to Governor Ademola Adeleke and the people of Osun State.
Betawale, while slashing critics who have mocked the governor’s dancing skills, said Adeleke, affectionately known as the “Dancing Governor,” has been a subject of ridicule on social media, with some critics nicknaming him “Ade Dancer.”
He argues that Adeleke’s love for dance has no bearing on his governance, saying, “How does his love for dance affect salaries, roads, schools, healthcare, or policymaking?”
He stressed that leadership is about delivery, not posture, and that Adeleke’s record as a former senator and governor will speak for itself.
He also urged critics to respect the office of the governor, saying, “He deserves the respect of that office until he leaves.”
He warned political critics who mock Adeleke’s dancing, alongside Remi Tinubu trying to “shut down” the governor in his own state, saying such insults usually backfire, turning pity into sympathy and sympathy into votes.
He also urged critics to stop bullying Governor Ademola Adeleke.
