Peter Obi denies secret meeting with Tinubu in Rome over ₦225bn Fidelity bank debt

Peter Obi, the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has strongly refuted claims that he travelled to Rome for a meeting with President Bola Tinubu regarding a supposed ₦225 billion debt associated with Fidelity Bank.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Obi dismissed the report as false and described it as part of a deliberate smear campaign designed to tarnish his reputation.

He emphasized that the allegations are baseless and serve only to mislead the public.

“It’s obvious that the biggest business for blackmailers now is talking about Peter Obi from every negative perspective.” He said, “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 media report recently alleged that Obi met secretly with Tinubu in Rome to plead for intervention in a purported financial scandal involving Fidelity Bank, where he served as a board member.

However, the former Governor of Anambra State categorically denied ever requesting or holding a private meeting with the president on account of any bank.

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…

— Peter Obi (@PeterObi)

“I have never sought an audience with, nor met, President Tinubu since he assumed office, except about 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,” he said.

Obi also cleared the air on his relationship with Fidelity Bank, saying he does not own the bank.

He said, “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.”