PETER OBI DENIES ROME MEETING WITH TINUBU OVER ALLEGED ₦225BN FIDELITY BANK SCANDAL
Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has firmly denied reports alleging that he travelled to Rome to seek President Bola Tinubu’s intervention in a purported ₦225 billion financial scandal linked to Fidelity Bank.
In a statement released on Thursday, Obi dismissed the claims as part of a sustained blackmail campaign targeted at damaging his reputation.
“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 recent media report had claimed that Obi met secretly with President Tinubu in Rome to discuss a financial matter involving Fidelity Bank, where he once served on the board. The report further alleged that the meeting was intended to solicit presidential intervention in the matter.
Obi, however, categorically denied the allegations, stating that he has not held any private meeting with the president since the latter assumed office.
“I have never sought an audience with, nor met, President Tinubu since he assumed office,” Obi clarified. “The only encounter we had was a brief, respectful greeting at the arena of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome during the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV, where I was seated behind him among other dignitaries.”
Addressing speculation over his links to Fidelity Bank, Obi stated unequivocally that he does not own 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 financial institutions, including Fidelity. The bank is owned by over 500,000 shareholders—none of whom hold a majority stake.”
Obi further condemned the alleged misinformation campaign, warning that such narratives risk undermining public confidence and causing distress to innocent Nigerians.
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