Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo has demanded that Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, apologise to airport officials and pay a N25,000 fine for a parking violation at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. Keyamo made the demand in a statement he posted on X on Friday.
The minister said he ordered an internal inquiry to examine Obi's claim that his vehicle's tyres were wrongly clamped at the airport. CCTV footage from the facility showed Obi's car was left unattended in a restricted zone, triggering the action by airport security staff, he said.
Obi arrived at the domestic terminal on July 4, 2026, and was dropped off by a police driver, according to Keyamo. The driver returned briefly before leaving the vehicle unattended again, prompting security officials to enforce parking rules.
The vehicle was released only after the driver contacted Obi, who then spoke with an airport manager and requested its release, Keyamo explained. He noted that the mandatory fine wasn't paid before the car was freed.
Leaving an unattended vehicle in a restricted airport zone for roughly 30 minutes created a security risk under international airport safety standards, the minister argued. He said this violated basic protocols governing airport operations.
Keyamo accused Obi of portraying the incident as political persecution rather than acknowledging his mistake. "This is a clear case of an opposition candidate trying to whip up unnecessary sentiments for a wrong he committed with his driver," he said.
The minister insisted that Obi's status as a presidential aspirant meant he should respect the law and set a proper example. He added that Obi must issue a public apology to airport workers who were simply doing their jobs.
Keyamo gave Obi one week to meet his demands: a public apology and payment of the N25,000 fine at the airport. "If these demands are not met within one week, I will be giving the necessary directives to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to take the next steps against him," he said.
Obi had previously claimed the tyre-clamping was unjustified and part of a pattern of actions against him by the Federal Government. The former Anambra State governor framed the incident as harassment linked to his political activities.
