The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to charge former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, ₦25,000 for alleged wrongful parking at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
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Keyamo gave the directive on Friday while reacting to Obi’s recent claim that his vehicle was unfairly clamped at the airport as part of what he described as government frustration and alleged targeting of opposition figures.
Obi had, during an interview with Chude Jideonwo, said his car was clamped at the airport over alleged wrongful parking, even though other vehicles were parked in the same area.
He also claimed that some people who knew him at the airport avoided greeting him for fear of becoming targets of government attention.
However, Keyamo denied that the incident had anything to do with political persecution, saying an internal inquiry showed that Obi’s vehicle was parked unattended in a prohibited drop-off zone for about 30 minutes.
According to the minister, the rule at the airport permits vehicles to stop briefly at the drop-off zone only if the driver remains behind the wheel.
“As the Minister of Aviation, I felt a moral duty to investigate and authenticate the claim made by opposition candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, a few days ago that the tyres of his car were ‘unjustly’ clamped at the airport, suggesting a ‘persecution agenda’ against him by the Federal Government,” Keyamo said.
“Politics aside, every Nigerian is entitled to fair treatment under the law.”
Keyamo said the entire Abuja airport is covered by CCTV cameras and that the footage showed what transpired.
He said Obi arrived at the domestic wing of the airport at about 8:28 p.m. on Saturday, July 4, 2026, in a vehicle driven by a police officer.
According to him, Obi and two other occupants alighted from the vehicle and entered the terminal building, while the police driver later parked the vehicle close to the entrance, left it unattended and also went into the terminal.
Keyamo said the driver briefly returned at about 8:32 p.m. to collect something from the vehicle before going back into the building again.
He said it was after the vehicle had been left unattended that airport security officials clamped the tyres.
“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, not that it should matter anyway,” he said.
The minister further alleged that when the police driver returned and discovered that the tyres had been clamped, he was directed to an office, where he called Obi and handed the phone to the manager on duty.
Keyamo claimed that Obi introduced himself to the manager and requested that the vehicle be released, after which it was released without payment of the required fine.
According to him, the unattended parking constituted a security risk under global airport safety standards.
“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,” he stated.
Reacting to Obi’s claim that other vehicles were also parked in the same area, Keyamo said such an excuse was unacceptable from someone aspiring to lead the country.
He described the incident as an attempt by an opposition figure to create a false narrative and score political points.
“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,” Keyamo said.
“The excuse which Mr. Peter Obi gave that there were other offenders too on that day, which is completely false, cannot be an excuse for an individual aspiring to be President of Nigeria. He must live above board.”
The minister said the airport authorities had not publicised the matter and had considered it closed until Obi raised it during the interview.
He insisted that Obi must face the consequences of his action, saying equality before the law demands that the former governor should not be treated differently.
Keyamo demanded that Obi publicly apologise to the airport workers, whom he said were merely carrying out their duties, and return to the airport to pay the ₦25,000 fine for wrongful parking.
“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’,” Keyamo said.
“That Mr. Peter Obi voluntarily goes back to the airport and pay the appropriate fine of ₦25,000 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.”
Keyamo said if the demands were not met within one week, he would direct FAAN to take further steps against Obi.
The development adds a fresh dimension to Obi’s earlier allegation that the government was frustrating his activities and targeting opposition figures, a claim the Federal Government has not formally accepted.
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