Peter Obi, 2023LP's presidential candidate, has been embroiled in fresh drama over the last few days following his visit to the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican last weekend.
From innuendo about the legitimacy of his attendance at an event reportedly meant for select global leaders & invited guests, to his meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the chapel before the mass and afterwards on its grounds,, to reports that Obi went to that particular event to solicit the President's intervention in the ongoing ruptures surrounding indebtedness and takeover tussle in Fidelity Bank to various pictures copiously dotting the cyberspace depicting Obi in scenes supposedly buttressing these events. the news.
It's also suggested that Obi was nearly prevented from entering the chapel for the mass despite the intervention of Cardinal Francis Arinze until President Tinubu put in a word for him. A picture then circulated purported supporting this argument of Obi and Arinze by a Charlie France amongst security.
These various issues got viral and rife that Obi has now come out to respond.
Read his full defence in full in a statement posted on X an hour ago.
Conversation
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 profit from their evil ways.
A new Nigeria is POssible
Comments