The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), has called on the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to apologise to airport officials and pay a N25,000 penalty over an alleged parking violation at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Keyamo made the demand in a statement shared on his X account on Friday after ordering an internal investigation into Obi’s claim that the tyres of his vehicle were “unjustly” clamped at the airport.
According to the minister, the inquiry, backed by CCTV footage, established that Obi’s vehicle had been left unattended in a restricted area, prompting airport security personnel to clamp its tyres.
He said Obi arrived at the domestic terminal of the Abuja airport on July 4, 2026, and was dropped off by a police driver, who initially left the vehicle before briefly returning and departing again, leaving it unattended.
Keyamo explained that airport security officers enforced the parking regulations after noticing the unattended vehicle.
He added that the vehicle was eventually released after the driver contacted Obi, who then spoke with an airport manager and requested that it be freed.
However, the minister alleged that the required fine was not paid before the vehicle was released.
He maintained that leaving an unattended vehicle in a restricted airport area for about 30 minutes posed a security risk under international airport safety standards.
Keyamo accused Obi of portraying the incident as political persecution, arguing that the former Anambra State governor should have allowed the issue to be handled through the proper procedures.
“This is a clear case of an opposition candidate trying to whip up unnecessary sentiments for a wrong he committed with his driver,” Keyamo said.
He further stated that Obi, as a presidential aspirant, should respect the law and lead by example.
The minister subsequently demanded that Obi publicly apologise to the airport officials, whom he said were simply carrying out their duties, and return to the airport to pay the N25,000 fine for the alleged parking offence.
“If these demands are not met within one week, I will be giving the necessary directives to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to take the next steps against him,” he said.
Obi had earlier claimed the clamping of his vehicle’s tyres was unjustified, describing the incident as part of a broader pattern of actions directed against him by the Federal Government.