Not Peter Obi: "Why Tinubu, Atiku Can Call Olubadan 'My Brother'," Hamzat Explains
- Oriyomi Hamzat has insisted that the 2023 Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, was wrong for addressing the Olubadan as a 'brother'
- The broadcaster said President Bola Tinubu and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar could address Oba Rashidi Ladoja this way
- Hamzat explained the reason that the two politicians could refer to the newly crowned Olubadan as their brother, and Obi could not
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Ibadan, Oyo State - Oriyomi Hamzat said President Bola Tinubu and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar could call the newly crowned Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, 'my brother'.
Legit.ng recalls that the Nigerian broadcaster claimed Peter Obi disrespected the Yorubas, noting that even the country's leader did not address the monarch in such a manner.
Source: UGC
Hamzat said the 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Obi, is not in the category of those who can call Olubadan a 'brother'.
He said Tinubu and Oba Ladoja served as senators during the Third Republic and later became governors in the same political season.
According to Hamzat, the two politicians were contemporaries in Nigeria’s turbulent democratic journey.
He stated this via his X handle @OriyomiHamzat_ while replying to a user on Sunday, September 28, 2025.
“When Oba Ladoja was unjustly impeached as Governor of Oyo State in 2006, it was Tinubu, who happened to be the Governor of Lagos at that time, who played a pivotal role in mobilising political and legal support for his reinstatement.
“That bond, tested in the heat of struggle, is what makes Tinubu’s reference to Oba Ladoja as ‘my brother’ both natural and culturally appropriate.”
“Mind you, Atiku was the VP at the time, and he was present at His Imperial Majesty’s 60th birthday. That shows that both Atiku and Oba Ladoja have some kind of history as well.”
“On the other hand, Mr Obi lacks that history, that closeness, and that cultural context.”
Reactions as Hamzat defends Obi over 'brother'
@diepole said:
"I think this man is a reasonable person, but I don't know if he's one of those Ronu gangsters. Obi & Kabiyesi Ladoja contested 2 be governor at the same time in 2003, Obi was rigged out, which he later won his case in 2006, & mind u, both were impeached in 2006 & later reinstated."
@getrichordietri commented:
"Is it culturally appropriate in Yoruba tradition for a young child to publicly disrespect the Oba of Lagos by pulling his beard? What is your perspective on this matter? Does the fact that the child is the son of Tinubu grant him the right to disrespect traditional rulers, such as the Oba? Are they peers of the same age to justify such behavior?"
@YettyO_JP remarked:
"Photo from Reno Omokri on FB.... 1. Obi of Onitsha, 2.Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, 3.Chief Ayo Adebanjo. They were all addressed as "my Father-figure" at different times by Peter Obi. But an 81-year-old revered 1st class King of the largest city in Yorubaland, was addressed as "my dear brother" by Peter Obi 😔. The entire Yoruba race will remember. Yorubaland."
Source: Instagram
@SJay37563991 added
"I love as you sit down explain rubbish😅The President who should know better as a Yoruba man to respect d throne is given a pass yl a man from another tribe that doesnt know much is latched on...It shows its not about your culture after all. hatred for 1 supersedes your culture😅"
Hamzat’s attack on Obi ‘cheap politics’ – Analyst
A political analyst, Dr. Thompson Olasupo Olakunle, has dismissed broadcaster Oriyomi Hamzat’s claim that Peter Obi should not call the new Olubadan his “brother,” while Tinubu and Atiku can.
“The reasoning is invalid and warped in ethnic jingoism and chauvinism, nepotism and shallowness,” Olakunle told Legit.ng.
He described Hamzat’s position as unprofessional:
“It is not only petty of Oriyomi Hamzat but also a mockery of his profession. It above all smock of parochial tendency and slavism.”
Olakunle argued that none of the politicians went out of place when they used the phrase “my brother” in addressing the monarch:
“In actual sense, it is about the context at which the actors involved addressed the new king. None of them went out of place even though they all used the term ‘My Brother.’ As the president even went ahead to add other prefixes and qualifications such as confidant, friend etc.”
He noted that Hamzat’s claim of Tinubu and Atiku being contemporaries with Ladoja was incomplete:
“While Mr Hamzat claimed that Tinubu and Atiku together with Ladoja were contemporary in the early 2000s, he failed to also state that Peter Obi contested election during that period, though he was robbed and later reinstated.”
The analyst added that Obi and Ladoja also shared political ties through the PDP and national appointments:
“Peter Obi may have even held a higher position than Ladoja, especially when Peter Obi was in the economic advisory board of Goodluck Jonathan.”
Dr. Olakunle further suggested Hamzat’s recent outburst was linked to personal and political interests:
“Mr Hamzat was only trying to score a cheap political point and mind you, it is also a sign that the 2027 election campaign has started.”
He also linked the remarks to wider efforts to discredit Obi:
“You know, losing Lagos to Peter Obi in the 2023 election is still a pain that Tinubu and his acolytes would leave with till the rest of their lives. So I believe Mr Hamzat may have also fallen into the political mercenary or political vuvuzela group.”
Peter Obi visits Olubadan-designate Ladoja
Recall that Obi visited Olubadan-designate, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at his Ibadan private residence in the Oyo state capital on September 14, 2025.
The former Anambra state governor explained the reason for paying a courtesy visit to the monarch, with his comments causing controversy.
Peter Obi under fire over Olubadan 'adjective'
In a previous story, Legit.ng also reported that Peter Obi was dragged after he referred to the newly installed Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, as 'my dear brother'.
Reno Omokri argued that Ibadan predated the precolonial era, which should not be compared to towns without heads, and questioned addressing a monarch in the north as such.
Editorial assistant Ololade Olatimehin provided exclusive commentary from a political analyst for this report.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
