By Deborah Nnamdi
Peter Obi, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has strongly denied reports alleging he met with President Bola Tinubu in Rome to discuss a purported N225 billion debt involving Fidelity Bank.
In a statement released on Thursday, Obi dismissed the claims as part of an ongoing smear campaign designed to tarnish his image.
“It’s obvious that the biggest business for blackmailers now is talking about Peter Obi from every negative perspective. Even my solemn spiritual trip to Rome has been twisted into yet another blackmail campaign by merchants paid ostensibly to propagate anything negative against Obi”
A recent media report suggested that Obi held a covert meeting with Tinubu in Rome, allegedly to seek his intervention in a financial controversy tied to Fidelity Bank, where Obi once served as a board member.
Obi, however, flatly denied any such meeting took place, clarifying that he has not requested or had any private discussions with the president regarding any financial matters.
“Let me categorically state that I have never sought an audience with, nor met, President Tinubu since he assumed office, except about a 1-minute meeting at the arena of Saint Peter’s Basilica Rome during the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV, where I was seated behind, and had to respectfully greet him, and other dignitaries present.”
Addressing the allegations about his ties to Fidelity Bank, Obi stressed that he is not the owner of the institution.
“The self-proclaimed “blackmailer-in-chief” and others who thrive on spreading pain and falsehoods have also claimed that I own Fidelity Bank. For the record, I do not. Throughout my career, I have served as Chairman/Director of 3 banks/Financial institutions, of which Fidelity is one of them. Fidelity has over 500,000 shareholders, none of whom hold a majority stake. What this blackmailer seeks is to harm these hard-working Nigerians and cause them needless distress.
“I was previously in Rome on the 9th of May for the lying in state of Pope Francis. Immediately after the mass and exchanging pleasantries, I went straight from Vatican City to London, and then back to Nigeria,” he added.
