LAGOS, MAY 22, 2025 — Former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has strongly refuted claims that he met President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Rome to discuss a ₦225 billion debt linked to Fidelity Bank, calling the allegations baseless and malicious.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Obi condemned what he described as a growing wave of blackmail targeted at tarnishing his image, particularly by those who profit from spreading disinformation. He noted that even his spiritual visit to Rome had been twisted into “yet another blackmail campaign” orchestrated by individuals allegedly paid to fabricate negativity around him.
“One such individual, whose entire life revolves around blackmail, falsely claimed that I went to Rome to have a private meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Obi said. “These claims are not only baseless and malicious but entirely false.”
Clarifying the circumstances of his recent trip to Rome, Obi stated that he only had a brief encounter with Tinubu during a public event. “Let me categorically state that I have never sought an audience with, nor met, President Tinubu since he assumed office, except for about a one-minute exchange of greetings at Saint Peter’s Basilica during the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV,” he explained.
According to Obi, he had been in Rome on May 9 to attend the lying in state of Pope Francis and departed directly from Vatican City to London, before returning to Nigeria.
He also addressed long-standing rumors that he owns Fidelity Bank. “Throughout my career, I have served as Chairman or Director in three financial institutions, including Fidelity Bank, but I do not own it,” he clarified. “Fidelity has over 500,000 shareholders with no majority stakeholder. This blackmail is an attack not just on me, but on these hard-working Nigerians.”
Obi concluded his statement with a message to those propagating falsehoods: “May God grant you the virtues of gratitude and understanding to know that we came here with nothing and will go with nothing—that you cannot profit from evil.”
The Labour Party leader’s comments come amid increasing online attacks and allegations tied to his public and private dealings, most of which he has consistently denied.
