Adebayo Adenrele
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has called on former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to publicly apologise to airport personnel and pay a ₦25,000 fine over a wrongful parking incident at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Keyamo said he ordered an internal investigation following Obi’s public claim that the tyres of his vehicle were unjustly clamped at the airport as part of what he alleged was a campaign of persecution by the Federal Government.
According to the minister, the investigation became necessary because every Nigerian is entitled to fair treatment under the law, regardless of political affiliation.
Keyamo said the inquiry relied on footage from the airport’s 24-hour closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance system, which he said captured the sequence of events surrounding the incident.
He stated that the CCTV footage showed that on July 4, 2026, Obi arrived at the domestic terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at about 8:28 p.m. in a vehicle driven by a police officer. Obi and two other occupants reportedly entered the terminal while the police driver initially remained with the vehicle.
The minister explained that the driver subsequently parked the vehicle in a designated drop-off zone, where drivers are expected to remain behind the wheel if the vehicle is temporarily stationary.
According to him, the driver later left the vehicle unattended and entered the terminal, returning briefly to retrieve an item before leaving it unattended again.
Keyamo said airport security personnel subsequently clamped the vehicle’s tyres after discovering it had been left unattended in the restricted area.
He rejected Obi’s allegation that the action was targeted against him, maintaining that no one was inside the vehicle at the time it was clamped and that airport officials were unaware the vehicle belonged to the former presidential candidate.
The minister further alleged that when the police driver later discovered the tyres had been clamped, he was directed to the airport management office, where he contacted Obi by telephone.
According to Keyamo, Obi spoke with the airport manager, identified himself, and requested that the vehicle be released. He claimed the vehicle was subsequently released without payment of the prescribed penalty.
The minister argued that the vehicle remained unattended in the prohibited zone for approximately 30 minutes, describing the situation as a significant security concern in line with international airport safety standards.
He also dismissed Obi’s claim that other vehicles committed similar parking violations on the same day, describing the allegation as false.
Keyamo accused the former Anambra State governor of attempting to generate public sympathy by portraying routine enforcement of airport regulations as political persecution.
He maintained that airport authorities had considered the matter resolved until Obi publicly raised the allegation, prompting the government to investigate and release its findings.
The minister said he had attached CCTV footage of the incident to his statement to support the government’s position and provide what he described as a factual account of the events.
As part of his demands, Keyamo called on Obi to issue an unreserved public apology to airport personnel whom he said were unfairly portrayed as persecutors while carrying out their lawful duties.
Keyamo warned that if Obi failed to meet both demands within one week, he would direct the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to take appropriate action in accordance with the law.
