Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has strongly refuted recent allegations linking him to political blackmail, a controversial debt crisis, and secret dealings with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In a public statement, Obi expressed concern over a growing campaign of defamation, aimed at tarnishing his image through false narratives.
Obi described the current wave of blackmail against him as a lucrative business for those intent on misrepresenting his actions. He particularly referenced his recent spiritual trip to Rome, which he said had been maliciously twisted into yet another smear campaign.
“One such individual, whose entire life revolves around blackmail, falsely claimed that I went to Rome to have a private meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu regarding a purported ₦225 billion debt crisis involving Fidelity Bank,” Obi stated. “These claims are not only baseless and malicious, but entirely false.”
He categorically denied meeting President Tinubu in any official capacity. According to Obi, their only interaction was a brief, respectful greeting during the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV at Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. He noted he was seated behind President Tinubu and simply extended courtesy greetings as expected during such solemn events.
Obi clarified that his presence in Rome on May 9 was solely to attend the lying in state of Pope Francis. After the mass, he traveled directly from Vatican City to London, before returning to Nigeria.
Further addressing the falsehoods, Obi dismissed claims that he owns Fidelity Bank. “For the record, I do not,” he said. “While I have served as Chairman or Director of three financial institutions, including Fidelity Bank, the bank itself has over 500,000 shareholders and no majority owner.”
Obi accused the “blackmailer-in-chief” of attempting to destabilize public trust and harm the livelihoods of hardworking Nigerians invested in Fidelity Bank.
In closing, Obi offered a prayer for his detractors, wishing them virtues of gratitude and understanding. “We came here with nothing and will leave with nothing,” he added. “They cannot profit from their evil ways.”
Reaffirming his vision, Obi concluded with his campaign mantra:
“A new Nigeria is POssible.”
