Lagos, May 22, 2025 – Peter Obi, the Presidential Candidate of Labour Party in the 2024 elections, has denied a media report that he had a secret meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Rome over N225 billon debt to Fidelity Bank.
He denied the reports in a statement on Thursday,
Obi described the media report as the handiwork of blackmailers trying to damage his reputation.
“It is clear that the biggest business for blackmailers now is to speak about Peter Obi from every negative angle.
“Even my solemn spiritual trip to Rome has been distorted into yet another blackmail campaign by paid merchants intent on spreading falsehoods against me.”
He denied holding a private meeting with the president on account of any bank.
“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.
“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,” he said.
