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By Ayo Kehinde
The Federal Government has given National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, a week to publicly apologize to airport workers and pay a fine of 25,000 naira for blocking his vehicle at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The ultimatum was issued on Friday by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who warned that failure to comply with the regulations would prompt the federal government to order the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to initiate appropriate enforcement actions.
Keyamo’s directive follows an internal investigation ordered by the ministry after Obi alleged that Abuja airport officials had unfairly blocked the tires of his vehicle as part of what he described as a politically motivated persecution by the federal government.
The minister said the investigation was based on CCTV footage from the airport’s 24-hour surveillance system and found no evidence to support Obi’s claims.
According to Keyamo, the footage showed that Obi arrived at the airport’s domestic terminal on Saturday, July 4, 2026, at around 8.28pm, in a vehicle driven by a police officer.
He said that after dropping off Obi and two other occupants, the police driver parked in the designated drop-off zone and left the vehicle unattended upon entering the terminal building.
The minister explained that airport regulations only allow temporary stops in the drop-off area and require drivers to remain behind the wheel for the entire duration of the operation.
He said the driver then returned briefly to retrieve an item before abandoning the vehicle again.
Keyamo said airport security personnel later blocked the vehicle’s tires after observing that it had been left unattended for about 30 minutes in the restricted area.
He argued that CCTV footage showed no one was inside the vehicle when it was stopped, rejecting Obi’s claim that he had been deliberately targeted due to his political status.
According to the minister, the police driver then contacted Obi by phone and handed the phone over to the airport director.
He said Obi identified himself and asked for the vehicle to be released, after which he was allowed to leave without paying the prescribed N25,000 fine.
Keyamo described the incident as abuse of influence and argued that leaving a vehicle unattended in a restricted airport zone posed a significant safety risk under international aviation safety standards.
He also rejected Obi’s claim that other motorists committed similar breaches without penalty, insisting that CCTV recordings did not support such a claim.
Accusing the NDC presidential candidate of trying to score political points, the minister said Obi had unfairly portrayed airport workers as political persecutors despite their regular enforcement of airport regulations.
He accordingly asked Obi to tender an unreserved public apology to the airport staff involved and to voluntarily return to pay the N25,000 parking fine stipulated by law.
Keyamo warned that if Obi did not comply within a week, the Federal Government would direct FAAN to take further action in accordance with applicable airport regulations.
At the time of filing this report, Obi had not publicly responded to the minister’s latest allegations or ultimatum.
