My One Minute Meeting With Tinubu In Rome Courteous – Obi

BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – The Labour Party (LP) Presidential Candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has described his less than one minute meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Rome as purely courteous.

Writing on his X handle Thursday, the former Anambra State Governor also debunked claims the chance meeting was about a purported N225 billion debt crisis involving Fidelity Bank, where he once served as the Board Chairman.

He explained that besides the chanced one minute meeting at the Arena of Saint Peter’s Basilica Rome during Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration Mass, he had not met President Tinubu since his assumption of office on May 29, 2023.

The post read; “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 N225 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 (one) 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”.

Noting that the self-proclaimed ‘blackmailer-in-chief’ and others who thrive on spreading pain and falsehoods have also claimed that he owns Fidelity Bank, Obi said for the record, he does not.

“Throughout my career, I have served as Chairman/Director of three 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 profit from their evil ways”, the former Anambra State governor said.

Following Pope Leo XIV’s installation mass in Rome on Sunday, 18th May 2025, the social was abuzz with pictures of President Tinubu briefly meeting and exchanging pleasantries with Peter Obi, and former Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi