‘Apologise now’ — Keyamo issues Obi ultimatum over airport claim [VIDEO]

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has demanded that Presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress,NDC, Peter Obi should publicly apologise to airport officials and pay a N25,000 fine over a wrongful parking incident at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

Keyamo made the demand in a statement issued late Friday, saying he ordered an internal investigation into Obi’s recent allegation that his vehicle was unjustly clamped at the airport as part of what he described as a way to make him frustrated.

According to the minister, CCTV footage from the airport showed that Obi arrived at the domestic terminal on July 4, 2026, at about 8:28 p.m in a vehicle driven by a police officer.

He said that after dropping Obi and two other occupants, the police driver parked the vehicle in a designated drop-off zone and left it unattended while entering the terminal, contrary to airport regulations.

In addition, Keyamo said the driver briefly returned to the vehicle before leaving it unattended again, prompting airport security personnel to clamp the tyres.

“From the recordings, these are the facts: On Saturday, July 4th, 2026, Mr. Obi arrived at the domestic wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja at exactly 20:28 pm, driven by a Policeman,” the minister said.

The minister maintained that the security officials acted without knowing the vehicle belonged to Obi, insisting that no one was inside the vehicle when it was clamped.

“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,” he added.

He further alleged that when the driver returned, he contacted Obi by phone, after which Obi allegedly spoke with the airport manager and requested the vehicle’s release without paying the prescribed fine.

“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,” the statement reads in part.

According to the minister, the vehicle remained unattended in the restricted area for about 30 minutes, describing the action as a security risk and a violation of global airport safety practices.

“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,” Keyamo said.

He accused Obi of attempting to generate public sympathy by portraying the incident as political persecution.

“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 minister said.

Keyamo went further demanding that Obi publicly apologise to airport workers whom he claimed were unfairly portrayed as persecutors and voluntarily return to pay the N25,000 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’.

“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,” he added.

The minister warned that if Obi failed to comply within one week, he would direct the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to take further action in line with the law.

“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 said.

Recall that Obi had earlier alleged that the APC-led Federal Government was targeting him and claimed that his car had recently been locked at the airport. 

‘Apologise now’ — Keyamo issues Obi ultimatum over airport claim [VIDEO]