Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has given Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi a one-week ultimatum to publicly apologise to airport officials and pay a ₦25,000 fine for alleged wrongful parking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, warning that failure to comply would trigger action by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
Keyamo, in a statement released on Friday, said he ordered an internal investigation after Obi alleged that the tyres of his vehicle were unjustly clamped at the Abuja airport as part of what he described as a “persecution agenda” by the Federal Government.
According to the minister, CCTV footage from the airport contradicted Obi’s claims and showed that the vehicle was parked unattended in a restricted drop-off zone, constituting a security risk.
“As the Minister of Aviation, I felt a moral duty to investigate and authenticate the claim made by opposition candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, a few days ago that the tyres of his car were ‘unjustly’ clamped at the airport, suggesting a ‘persecution agenda’ against him by the Federal Government. Politics aside, every Nigerian is entitled to fair treatment under the law,” Keyamo said.
He explained that following the inquiry, officials reviewed the airport’s round-the-clock CCTV recordings, insisting that the footage clearly established what transpired.
“Luckily enough, the entire Abuja airport is covered by CCTV cameras, real-time, 24/7. But apparently, this fact was unknown to Mr. Peter Obi. Otherwise, perhaps he would have been more circumspect before rushing to the media to cry ‘persecution’,” he stated.
Providing a timeline of the incident, Keyamo said Obi arrived at the domestic terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at about 8:28 p.m. on Saturday, July 4, 2026, in a vehicle driven by a police officer.
According to him, after Obi and two other occupants entered the terminal, the police driver parked the vehicle in a drop-off zone, almost obstructing the entrance, before leaving it unattended.
“The airport rule is that, apart from the fact that it is a drop-off zone, a driver must remain behind the wheels of the vehicle for it to be tolerated for some time within that zone. Still the vehicle tyres were not clamped,” he said.
Keyamo disclosed that the driver later returned briefly to retrieve an item before leaving the vehicle unattended again, prompting airport security personnel to immobilise it.
“At this point, the dutiful airport security staff came over and clamped the tyres of the car. In doing this, contrary to the claims by Peter Obi, nobody was inside the car and so nobody knew whether it was his car (not that it should matter, anyway),” he added.
The minister further alleged that when the police officer discovered the vehicle had been clamped, he contacted Obi by phone and handed the call to the airport manager.
“Mr. Peter Obi then introduced himself and spoke with the manager, peddled his ‘influence’ and requested for the release of the vehicle. His vehicle was then released without him paying the necessary fine,” Keyamo alleged.
He maintained that the vehicle remained unattended in the restricted zone for about 30 minutes, describing the situation as a serious airport security concern.
“It is important to note that the time the vehicle was parked unattended to in that prohibited zone was about 30 minutes, which constitutes a security risk at an airport by global best practices,” he said.
The minister accused Obi of attempting to exploit the incident for political gain, insisting there was no evidence that other motorists committed similar offences on the day.
“What has emerged from this is a clear case of an opposition candidate trying to whip up unnecessary sentiments for a wrong he committed with his driver. The excuse which Mr. Peter Obi gave that there were other offenders too on that day (which is completely false) cannot be an excuse for an individual aspiring to be President of Nigeria. He must live above board,” Keyamo stated.
He added that airport authorities had considered the matter resolved until Obi publicly raised allegations of persecution.
“This is a matter that was not even mentioned at all by the airport authorities and had been put to rest. But ever determined to milk any situation to score cheap political points, Mr. Peter Obi decided to go on air to render a false narrative,” he said.
Keyamo consequently demanded that Obi publicly apologise to airport personnel and return to the airport to pay the ₦25,000 penalty for the parking violation.
“That he tenders an unreserved, public apology to those hardworking, ordinary Nigerian workers at the airport, just doing their jobs dutifully and whom he sought to blackmail as his ‘persecutors’,” the minister said.
He also demanded “that Mr. Peter Obi voluntarily goes back to the airport and pay the appropriate fine of N25,000 for wrongful parking at the airport for which he used ‘influence peddling’ to bully his way out on that day. He cannot be bigger than the law.”
The minister warned that failure to meet the demands within one week would compel the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to take further action.
“If these demands are not met within one week, I will be giving the necessary directives to the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to take the next steps against him,” Keyamo declared.
