Presidential spokesperson, Daniel Bwala, has mocked ex-presidential candidate, Peter Obi, after the latter allegedly got bounced at the Vatican.

The bouncing incident happened during the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in Rome on Sunday.

According to a viral video, Obi was trying to step into the main auditorium where the Pope would be inaugurated. However, a Vatican security guard repeatedly told him to step aside and move the other way.

Despite an effort by Cardinal Arinze from Nigeria to move Obi in, the guard remained adamant.

Reacting, Bwala recalled how one of Obi's mantras in the 2023 presidential election was "church, take back your country."

Referencing the Vatican incident, Bwala insinuated that Obi is now being denied by the same church.

"In 2023, he said, 'church take back your country,' and in 2025, he was denied access to the VVIP section of the church," Bwala wrote on X

Also, a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, mocked the Vatican incident, claiming Obi was bounced until President Bola Tinubu put in a word for him to be allowed in..

He shared on X, "Despite Cardinal Arinze's noble efforts, it appears that @PeterObi was not allowed in to see the Pope. He was beautifully bounced until @officialABAT put in a word for him and he was later allowed in to pay homage. Even then, he was not allowed anywhere near the Pope and instead went and paid homage to our President. Obidients take note: only go where you are accepted and appreciated and not where you are tolerated."

ASA