Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has strongly refuted recent claims linking him to a secret meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Rome, as well as allegations suggesting he owns Fidelity Bank.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Obi decried what he described as a sustained campaign of blackmail and misinformation targeted at tarnishing his reputation.
He said his recent visit to Rome, which was solely for a spiritual purpose, had been maliciously twisted by blackmailers who are paid to spread falsehoods.
“It’s obvious that the biggest business for blackmailers now is talking about Peter Obi from every negative perspective,” Obi stated.
“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.”
He particularly condemned an individual he described as a “blackmailer-in-chief” who alleged that Obi met privately with President Tinubu in Rome over a purported ₦225 billion debt crisis involving Fidelity Bank.
“These claims are not only baseless, malicious, but entirely false,” Obi stressed.
Setting the record straight, the former Anambra State Governor said he had not met with President Tinubu in any private capacity since the latter assumed office.
“Let me categorically state that I have never sought an audience with, nor met, President Tinubu since he assumed office, except about a one-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 further clarified that his trip to Rome on May 9th was specifically for the lying in state of Pope Francis, after which he proceeded directly to London and then returned to Nigeria.
Addressing another allegation, Obi also dismissed claims that he owns Fidelity Bank, clarifying his past association with 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,” he stated.
“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.”
He warned that such blackmail campaigns not only targeted him but also had the potential to harm hardworking Nigerians who have invested in the bank.
In conclusion, Obi offered prayers for those behind the falsehoods:
“To those peddling these falsehoods, and engaging in blackmail, I offer a simple prayer: May God grant you the virtues of gratitude and understanding to know that we came here with nothing and will go with nothing, that they cannot profit from their evil ways.”
He reaffirmed his commitment to building a better country, signing off with his campaign message:
“A new Nigeria is POssible.”
