Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has firmly denied recent media reports claiming he traveled to Rome for a secret meeting with President Bola Tinubu to seek intervention in an alleged ₦225 billion debt scandal linked to Fidelity Bank.
In a detailed statement released on Thursday, Obi described the report as a calculated act of blackmail designed to tarnish his image. He expressed dismay at how even his personal spiritual trip to Rome was twisted into a political scandal.
“It is clear that blackmailers have made it their business to misrepresent and malign me from every negative angle,” Obi stated. “Even my solemn spiritual journey to Rome has been manipulated and weaponized as part of a campaign of falsehoods funded by those determined to drag my name through the mud.”
The media allegation suggested that Obi had secretly met with President Tinubu in Rome to plead for his involvement in resolving a supposed financial scandal tied to Fidelity Bank, where Obi once served as a board member.
Obi categorically denied ever requesting or holding any private meeting with President Tinubu, stating:
“I have not sought an audience with, nor have I met with President Tinubu since he assumed office—except for a brief one-minute encounter at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome during the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV. I was seated behind him and simply offered a respectful greeting, as was appropriate for the occasion and other dignitaries present.”
Addressing the claims about his ties to Fidelity Bank, Obi clarified that he does not own the institution.
“There’s also a persistent lie that I own Fidelity Bank. Let it be clear: I do not. Over the course of my professional career, I have served as Chairman or Director in three banks or financial institutions, including Fidelity. The bank has over 500,000 shareholders and no single majority owner. These false narratives not only attack my integrity but also unjustly endanger the reputation and interests of countless hardworking Nigerians who are stakeholders in the bank.”
He concluded by condemning the continuous efforts by what he called “blackmailers and merchants of falsehood” to spread misinformation and cause public confusion.
