Mr. Peter Obi, former Labour Presidential candidate has dismissed as entirely false a media report claiming he travelled to Rome for a secret meeting with President Bola Tinubu over an alleged ₦225 billion financial scandal involving Fidelity Bank, 9News Nigeria reports.
In a statement seen by 9NEWS NIGERIA on Thursday, Obi described the allegation as part of a calculated smear campaign designed to damage his image and mislead the public.
“Attacking Peter Obi has become a booming business for blackmailers,” he said. “Even a quiet spiritual journey I took to Rome has now been turned into yet another opportunity for mischief, peddled by individuals whose only mission is to drag my name through the mud.”
The report, which surfaced recently in a section of the media, claimed that Obi met privately with Tinubu in the Vatican to seek assistance over financial issues reportedly tied to Fidelity Bank, where Obi once held a position on the board.
But Obi firmly denied the story, stressing that at no point since Tinubu became president has he held any private discussion with him — in Nigeria or abroad.
“The only time I have had any contact with President Tinubu since he assumed office was during the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome,” Obi explained. “I was seated behind him, and as a matter of protocol and respect, I greeted him briefly — a gesture that lasted less than a minute. That was it.”
Addressing the claims linking him directly to Fidelity Bank, Obi clarified that he has never owned the bank and has no controlling interest in it.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I do not own Fidelity Bank,” he said. “Yes, I served as a director in three financial institutions during my career, including Fidelity, but the bank has over half a million shareholders, none of whom holds a majority stake.”
He accused unnamed political actors of hiring agents to manufacture stories and sow distrust in the minds of the public, especially against individuals perceived as threats.
“These people don’t care how many innocent Nigerians they hurt in the process. Their goal is to cause confusion, attack reputations, and spread falsehoods just to score cheap political points,” Obi said.
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