The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has demanded a public apology from the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, over claims that his vehicle was unjustly clamped at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
In a statement posted on X on Friday, Keyamo described Obi’s allegation as false, saying an internal investigation he ordered found that airport officials acted professionally and in line with regulations.
According to the minister, the inquiry was launched after Obi alleged that the clamping of his vehicle formed part of a broader “persecution agenda” by the Federal Government against him.
“Politics aside, every Nigerian is entitled to fair treatment under the law. I therefore instituted an internal inquiry over the issue,” Keyamo said.
He explained that the airport’s CCTV footage showed Obi’s vehicle, driven by a police orderly, was parked at the domestic terminal at about 8:28 p.m. on July 4 and left unattended for approximately 30 minutes before airport security officials clamped its tyres.
Keyamo said the security personnel were unaware the vehicle belonged to Obi because no one was inside when they carried out the enforcement action.
He further revealed that Obi later contacted the airport manager directly, identified himself, and requested that the vehicle be released.
According to the minister, the vehicle was released without Obi paying the prescribed N25,000 fine for wrongful parking.
Keyamo also dismissed Obi’s claim that other improperly parked vehicles were ignored, insisting the allegation was untrue.
He subsequently gave the former Anambra State governor a one-week ultimatum to issue a public apology to airport staff and return to pay the N25,000 parking violation fine.
“If these demands are not met within one week, I will be giving the necessary directives to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to take the next steps against him,” the minister stated.
The development follows comments made by Obi during an appearance on the “With Chude” podcast, where he alleged that he was facing a pattern of harassment by the Federal Government and cited the airport incident as one of several examples.
Obi had claimed that his vehicle was clamped while he stood nearby, even though other vehicles parked in the same area were not sanctioned. He also alleged that some of his associates had become reluctant to publicly identify with him due to fears of government reprisals.
The Presidency had earlier rejected Obi’s allegations, with presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga maintaining that the airport incident resulted from a violation of parking regulations rather than political persecution.
