By Kolawole Ojebisi
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said he did not travel to Rome to purposely meet President Bola Tinubu regarding an alleged ₦225 billion debt linked to Fidelity Bank.
Obi stressed that the reports making the rounds are parts of a grand plot targeted at soiling his reputation by blackmailers.
The ex-Anambra governor stated this in a statement released on Thursday,
“It is clear that the biggest business for blackmailers now is to speak about Peter Obi from every negative angle,” he said.
He continued, “Even my solemn spiritual trip to Rome has been distorted into yet another blackmail campaign by paid merchants intent on spreading falsehoods against me.”
A short viral video had emerged following the trip of Obi to Rome for the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican.
In the video, Obi, Tinubu and former governor of Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi, were seen exchanging banters.
However, days after the inauguration, after Obi’s return to Nigeria, he categorically warned Nigerians not to read political meaning to his trip.
Meanwhile, despite the warning, it was speculated in some quarters that Obi travelled to Rome to hold a private meeting with the president concerning a bank matter.
“I have never sought an audience with, nor met, President Tinubu since he assumed office, except for a brief, respectful greeting during the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, where I was seated behind him alongside other dignitaries,” Obi clarified.
Obi also addressed misconceptions about his relationship with Fidelity Bank, stating that he does not own the bank.
“The self-proclaimed ‘blackmailer-in-chief’ and others who profit from spreading pain and falsehoods have claimed that I own Fidelity Bank. For the record, I do not. Throughout my career, I have served as Chairman or Director of three banks and financial institutions, one of which is Fidelity.” Obi said.
“Fidelity has over 500,000 shareholders, none of whom hold a majority stake. What these blackmailers seek is to harm hardworking Nigerians and cause unnecessary distress,” he added.
