Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, was prevented from holding a private meeting with President Bola Tinubu at his hotel during their recent visit to Rome, Italy
Photos of Tinubu, Obi, and former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi briefly engaging at Pope Leo XIV’s installation mass on Sunday surfaced on social media, sparking speculation about a political reconciliation between the 2023 election rivals. The global event, held at the Vatican, was attended by world leaders and dignitaries.
Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga confirmed the moment in a social media post, noting that Fayemi, also a Papal Knight, persuaded Obi, a fellow Catholic, to approach and greet President Tinubu at the event.
However, as earlier reported that Obi’s trip to Rome was not merely a religious gesture, sources familiar with the matter say that the visit was a high-stakes effort to seek Tinubu’s intervention in a financial crisis facing Fidelity Bank Plc.
The bank, where Obi once served as chairman and in which he still reportedly holds a significant stake, is facing a ₦225 billion judgment debt stemming from a longstanding legal battle with Sagecom Concept Limited.
Sources said Obi had attempted to arrange a private meeting with the President at his hotel, but the Presidency declined, insisting that any interaction must occur publicly. The brief Vatican exchange was therefore orchestrated as a compromise.
Obi and Tinubu have remained on opposite sides of Nigeria’s political divide since the 2023 presidential election, with Obi emerging as one of Tinubu’s most vocal critics. Their unexpected encounter in Rome triggered mixed reactions among supporters of both men.
Upon returning to Nigeria, Obi addressed the viral photo, downplaying any political motive behind the trip. Speaking in Abuja after donating ₦20 million to Saint Andrews Anglican Church in Kubwa Diocese, he said, “Myself and the President are not fighting. We went for a church service in Rome.”
Our earlier findings indicate that the trip was arranged specifically to secure a face-to-face conversation with Tinubu, amid growing concern over Fidelity Bank’s financial exposure.
However, a senior government source said that after the widely publicised encounter at the Vatican, Obi made an attempt to meet President Tinubu privately at the hotel where the Nigerian leader was staying, but he was denied access.
“They are supposed to have follow-up meetings,” the source said. “Peter Obi was blocked from meeting Tinubu in the hotel after they met at the Vatican.”
The debt at the centre of the crisis stems from a protracted legal dispute with Ibadan-based Sagecom Concept Limited. In a recent ruling, the Supreme Court affirmed earlier judgments that found Fidelity Bank jointly and severally liable—alongside construction firm G. Cappa Plc—for substantial special damages resulting from lost rental income on a high-end property in Ikoyi, Lagos.
With daily interest compounding at 19.5% per annum, the debt has surged to $139.3 million, approximately ₦224.5 billion as of May 20, 2025.
Sources said that in a bid to rally support before heading to Rome, Obi held a series of consultations with influential Nigerian figures, including Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, and former Ekiti governors Ayodele Fayose and Kayode Fayemi. It was Fayemi who ultimately agreed to travel with Obi to the Vatican, where they sought a crucial meeting with President Tinubu.
“Peter Obi’s visit to Rome was to meet President Tinubu to help intervene and prevent the bankruptcy of Fidelity Bank over the issue,” one of the sources said.
“Prior to visiting Rome to meet President Tinubu, Peter Obi had met Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Ooni of Ife, former Ekiti Governor Ayodele Fayose and eventually former Ekiti Governor Kayode Fayemi, who accompanied him to Rome to solve the problem.”
However, the Presidency reportedly resisted holding such a meeting behind closed doors, insisting that any interaction with the President must take place in public view.
