Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Amid rising political tensions and disinformation campaigns, former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has denied claims linking him to a N225 billion debt scandal involving Fidelity Bank, dismissing it as a “baseless and malicious” attempt at blackmail.
In a sharp rebuttal, Obi described the allegations – which claim he traveled to Rome for a secret meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the purported debt – as an orchestrated attack by “blackmail merchants” bent on damaging his reputation.
According to him, the claim that he met with Tinubu to discuss a financial crisis tied to Fidelity Bank is entirely false. He clarified that the only interaction he had with the president occurred briefly and incidentally during a papal event.
“The biggest business for blackmailers now is talking about Peter Obi from every negative perspective. Even my solemn spiritual trip to Rome has been twisted into yet another blackmail campaign by merchants paid ostensibly to propagate anything negative against me.
“I have never sought an audience with, nor met, President Tinubu since he assumed office, except about a one-minute meeting at the arena of Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome, during the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV. I was seated behind and had to respectfully greet him and other dignitaries present.”
Obi also emphasized that he has no ownership ties to Fidelity Bank, countering claims made by what he described as a “self-proclaimed blackmailer-in-chief.”
He acknowledged past leadership roles in the bank but said it is a publicly traded institution with over 500,000 shareholders and no majority owner.
“For the record, I do not own Fidelity Bank. Throughout my career, I have served as Chairman/Director of three banks and financial institutions, of which Fidelity is one. What this blackmailer seeks is to harm these hard-working Nigerians and cause them needless distress.”
The former governor had visited Rome on May 9th 2025 for the lying in state of Pope Francis and said he traveled directly to London after the event, before returning to Nigeria.
In a final note, Obi offered a spiritual admonition to those he believes are orchestrating smear campaigns: “May God grant you the virtues of gratitude and understanding to know that we came here with nothing and will go with nothing, that they cannot profit from their evil ways.”
