Peter Obi Refutes Reports of Private Meeting with President Tinubu on Fidelity Bank Debt

Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has publicly denied claims that he traveled to Rome to meet President Bola Tinubu regarding a ₦225 billion debt allegedly linked to Fidelity Bank.

In a statement released Thursday, Obi dismissed the reports as part of a “blackmail campaign” aimed at damaging his reputation.

“It is clear that the biggest business for blackmailers now is to speak about Peter Obi from every negative angle,” Obi said. “Even my solemn spiritual trip to Rome has been distorted into yet another blackmail campaign by paid merchants intent on spreading falsehoods against me.”

Contrary to media reports suggesting a secret meeting to discuss the bank’s financial troubles, Obi clarified that he has never sought or held an audience with President Tinubu since the latter assumed office, except for a brief greeting during the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV at Saint Peter’s Basilica, where he was seated behind the president alongside other dignitaries.

Obi also addressed misconceptions about his ties to Fidelity Bank, stating, “I do not own Fidelity Bank.” He explained that while he has served as chairman or director of several financial institutions, Fidelity Bank has over 500,000 shareholders with no majority owner. Obi accused his detractors of seeking to harm hardworking Nigerians by spreading falsehoods.

The controversy follows reports that Obi’s visit to Rome was intended to seek Tinubu’s intervention to prevent Fidelity Bank’s bankruptcy over a protracted legal dispute involving a ₦225 billion judgment debt. However, Obi’s statement firmly rejects these claims as unfounded.