The Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, has firmly denied recent media reports alleging he met with President Bola Tinubu in Rome to discuss a supposed ₦225 billion debt connected to Fidelity Bank.
Obi addressed the matter in a statement shared on Thursday via his official X (formerly Twitter) account, describing the allegation as part of a larger effort to smear his reputation through misinformation and blackmail.
“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.”
The report in question had claimed that Obi held a secret meeting with the president in the Italian capital, allegedly to seek assistance regarding a financial scandal tied to Fidelity Bank, where he was previously a board member. It further implied that Obi was personally linked to the substantial debt.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, categorically denied the claims, maintaining that he has had no private interaction with President Tinubu since the latter assumed office.
“I have never sought an audience with, nor met, President Tinubu since he assumed office,” Obi stated. “The only interaction I had was a brief, respectful greeting during the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, where I was seated behind him and other dignitaries.”
He also rejected assertions that he owns Fidelity Bank, explaining that while he has previously served in leadership roles across several financial institutions, he holds no ownership stake in the bank.
“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,” he said. “Throughout my career, I have served as Chairman/Director of three banks and financial institutions, of which Fidelity is one. The bank has over 500,000 shareholders, none of whom hold a majority stake.”
Obi emphasized that such unfounded allegations not only target him but also jeopardize the interests of ordinary Nigerians who have investments in the bank.
He concluded by calling on the public to ignore what he termed “deliberate attempts by paid merchants of falsehood” to derail national discourse and mislead citizens.
