Peter Obi: “I Neither Own Fidelity Bank, Nor Did I Go To Rome To Meet Tinubu On Bank’s Behalf”

By Gideon Njoku

Peter Obi, a two-term Governor of Anambra State, and the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 General Elections has dismissed those who falsely allege that he went to the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV for the sole purpose of pleading with President Bola Tinubu on behalf of Fidelity Bank Plc, as cheap blackmailers.

In the past couple of days, some unscrupulous elements have been trying to de-market Fidelity Bank, one of Nigeria’s most solid and best-run Banks.

Just when the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN,  dismissed the ridiculous insinuations against the bank as absolutely untrue and nonsensical, and while the bank was scoring A+ in every indices, those after it raised the ante.

Deliberately ignorant about the ownership structure of the bank, they tried to connect Obi’s trip to the Vatican for the Pope’s inauguration with their fabricated story on Fidelity Bank. They said Obi traveled to the Vatican purposely to meet with President Bola Tinubu to plead on behalf of his (Obi’s) bank, Fidelity.

However, in a reaction to the ridiculous tale, Obi dismissed it as beneath contempt, a cock and bull story.

In a post on his X page, Obi tutored his blackmailers and the demarketers of Fidelity Bank that not only does he not own the bank, he had no private meeting with President Tinubu to discuss anything. The only time he met with him, he said, was very briefly, publicly, where both exchanged courtesies. He also tutored them on the ownership structure of the bank, explaining that not only does he not own it, the bank has about 500,000 shareholders.

Obi lamented a situation where his person has, suddenly, become a best-seller for blackmailers.

The full text of his post reads:

“It’s obvious that 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 Obi.

“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. These claims are not only baseless, malicious, but entirely false.

“Let me categorically state that I have never sought an audience with, nor met, President Tinubu since he assumed office, except about 1 minute meeting at the arena of Saint Peter’s Basilica Rome during the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV, where I was seated behind, and had to respectfully greet him, and other dignitaries present.

“I was previously in Rome on the 9th of May for the lying in state of Pope Francis. Immediately after the mass and exchanging pleasantries, I went straight from Vatican City to London, and then back to Nigeria.

“The self-proclaimed “blackmailer-in-chief” and others who thrive on spreading pain and falsehoods have also claimed that I own Fidelity Bank. For the record, I do not. Throughout my career, I have served as Chairman/Director of 3 banks/Financial institutions, of which Fidelity is one of them. Fidelity has over 500,000 shareholders, none of whom hold a majority stake. What this blackmailer seeks is to harm these hard-working Nigerians and cause them needless distress.

“To those peddling these falsehoods, and engaging in blackmail, I offer a simple prayer: 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 prof it from their evil ways.

“A new Nigeria is POssible.

– PO”