No Deal With Tinubu In Rome – Peter Obi Fires Back At Blackmailers

The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has strongly refuted allegations that he held a secret meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Rome over an alleged ₦225 billion debt crisis involving Fidelity Bank.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Obi described the claim as “baseless, malicious, and entirely false,” accusing blackmailers of twisting his private spiritual trip to Rome for political mischief.

He clarified that his only encounter with President Tinubu was a brief exchange of greetings at Saint Peter’s Basilica during the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV.

“I have never sought an audience with, nor met President Tinubu since he assumed office, except a one-minute greeting at the Vatican,” Obi stated.

The former Anambra State governor explained that he was in Rome on May 9 for the lying in state of Pope Francis, and afterward traveled to London before returning to Nigeria.

Obi also denied claims that he owns Fidelity Bank, saying he only served as a chairman or director in three financial institutions, including Fidelity Bank, which has over 500,000 shareholders.

He criticized those he described as “blackmailers” bent on spreading falsehoods and causing pain, offering a prayer for them to gain “gratitude and understanding.”

Reaffirming his commitment to national development, Obi concluded his statement with the words: “A new Nigeria is POssible.”